It Was Just Another Accident! Really!
by BLUEanimeGIRL025
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke are quite a pair. They have been good friends and maybe more for a while now, but what happens when they get drunk together on the night of Sasuke's 18th birthday? Yep. It's an Mpreg story. SasuNaru, duh.
1. Ready to Party?

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto._

_**Summary:** Naruto and Sasuke are quite a pair. They have been good friends (and maybe more) for a while now, but what happens when they get drunk together on the night of Sasuke's 18th birthday? Can Naruto handle the pressures of being a teen mother?_

_Trust me, it's a lot better than it sounds... just read it._

_p.s. This story IS a sequel to my "It Was Just an Accident! Really!" but **you don't have to read the first one** to understand this one at all. So, it's all good. I was just letting you know._

* * *

Naruto stood in the middle of the living room of Sasuke's house -the very heart of the Uchiha mansion- looking around at the place and admiring his hard work. Almost five years had passed since Naruto and Sasuke had first kissed -well, since the first time they had kissed on _purpose_. Finally the time rolled around for Sasuke's 18th birthday.

The Uchiha had not breathed a word about the upcoming occasion - in fact, Naruto was sure that he was hoping nobody remembered. The blonde boy let out an evil little laugh. Oh no, he wasn't going to let Sasuke off the hook that easily. What would an 18th birthday be without a party… and some hard liquor?

So that's why Naruto was here, in Sasuke's house. In order to avoid the birthday situation, Sasuke had practically demanded the Hokage for some missions, some _long-term_ missions. And he had gotten his wish. Sasuke had been on a single mission for nearly two weeks already, which had given Naruto the perfect opportunity to prepare. Sasuke's birthday was the very next day, after all, and the Uchiha boy would probably be arriving back in the village at any minute. Naruto grinned. It was all too perfect.

With a sigh, Naruto plopped down on the nearby couch. He had spent every moment he could for the past week cleaning this huge mansion. It was the perfect place for a party, if only Sasuke took better care of it. Naruto had picked up all the trash, scrubbed every dirty floor, cleaned every unwashed dish, and had wiped down every dusty wall and window. He had swept, dusted, mopped, had even done some laundry. He had folded Sasuke's clothes -every scrap of it black, red, or dark blue, including all his underwear- and had stashed them neatly away in a drawer of the dresser in what he had found to be Sasuke's room.

That particular room had not been such a mess. Naruto had had to straighten a few curtains, make the bed, and pick up a few odds and ends off the floor, but other than that it was all good. It wasn't like Naruto had snooped around for any secrets, or anything like that. There were a few doors in the house that were locked, but he had ultimately had decided to just leave them alone. He was supposed to be making things ready for the party, not poking around in the Uchiha's things. Sasuke's business was Sasuke's business and Naruto simply left it at that.

Naruto grimaced thinking of how disgusting the refrigerator had been (even his own fridge at home wasn't _that_ bad), but then he grinned when he thought about all the alcohol now stored within. The fridge hardly held any food at all now, but it was filled to the very top with drinks. Oh yes, there would be drinking… lots and lots of drinking.

Naruto laughed out loud. This was going to be one _hell_ of a party. And he did not know how right he was.

_I should probably go get Sasuke now,_ he thought wryly. He frowned at the idea. That was the one flaw in his perfect plan - where to stash Sasuke for the night so that he did not see his mansion ready for a party. Naruto had a feeling -a very strong feeling- that if Sasuke were to find out about his party before hand, he would kill Naruto. The Kyuubi boy sighed. He had eventually decided to fetch Sasuke and somehow drag the Uchiha back to his own apartment, but he had a feeling that Sasuke was not going to like that very much either. It wasn't exactly a foolproof plan, but it was the best he could do.

He and Sasuke had kissed a few times since that first time, but it had never been anything too… serious. They were both a little awkward when it came to the fact that they liked to kiss other guys. The furthest it had ever gone was making out. No further than that. And Naruto wasn't sure if he was glad for that… or… disappointed.

Naruto's face reddened at the thoughts running through his head. _Bad Naruto,_ he scolded himself. _Bad, bad, bad… You know you're not supposed to think of Sasuke like that... very much._

Anyway, no matter how much Sasuke may or may not like Naruto, Naruto was pretty damn sure that Mr. Avenger boy would not take well to the notion of staying the night in Naruto's apartment, especially when he was just coming back to the village exhausted from a mission and he had his own huge mansion to go home to. Naruto stood with a shake of his head. _This _was going to be one hell of an awkward night, he could practically feel it in his bones.

Naruto sped off from the Uchiha mansion, but only after making sure that the door was locked securely behind him. It wasn't that he thought somebody might try to steal from the mansion or something, everybody was too scared to step anywhere near the _front yard_ without invitation, but somehow locking the door was reassuring, something telling Naruto that everything would turn out okay in the end.

Luckily, the blonde boy showed up just in time. Sasuke was just entering the village, headed straight for his home with his hands in his pocket and his face -still dirty from the mission- up in the air as if he owned the whole damn place. Naruto shook his head slightly. Sasuke's clothes, usually spotless and perfectly black and blue, were covered in rips and tears, along with mud and grass stains and what looked like blood.

As grimy as he seemed to be, Sasuke still had the grace of a cat... or of a snake about to strike. His movements were smooth, stylish and charming as if he weren't covered from head to toe in filth. Naruto couldn't help but stare as Sasuke made his way across town, though he should be used to this by now. No wonder why the Uchiha had so many fan girls.

Naruto hopped down from the roof he had been standing on. He didn't know what it was about roofs. He had thought it was so cool to run across them when he was younger, because it somehow made him seem more of a real ninja, and now he just did it out of habit. Well, at least they were less crowded than the streets below. Naruto landed perfectly on his feet, dust rising up in clouds from the dirt street, and sank into the shadows of an alleyway as the Uchiha approached. He watched patiently as Sasuke passed by. This was going to have to be quick. He was definitely going to have to do some very fast thinking. Too bad he had no idea what to say.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto stepped out of the shadows and caught Sasuke by the arm. Then he promptly began dragging the Uchiha away from the direction of the mansion. "What the-?!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Naruto! What the fuck?"

"You just got back from a hard mission Sasuke, aren't you hungry? Come on, let's grab a bite of ramen, it's on me." He turned and put on a quick, false smile. The boy glared daggers back.

"I _know_ I just got back from a mission, you little ass wipe, I was going to go home and shower and put some clean clothes on!"

"My place has a working shower," Naruto said with an indifferent shrug. "I can even let you borrow some of my clothes."

Sasuke stared at Naruto as if he had suddenly grown horns and a tail and turned into Satan. "Have you lost your goddamn _mind_?! I don't _want_ ramen and I don't _want_ any of your fucking _orange_ clothes. Now let me go so I can go home!" Naruto all but ignored him. "Naruto so help me… I will shove one of my kunai up your ass if you do not let me go right now."

An idea suddenly struck Naruto. He knew the perfect way to distract Sasuke. This called for drastic measures. He showed no signs of it on the outside, but right then, Naruto was grinning smugly on the inside. He turned to look over his shoulder again. Darkly he replied, "I would much rather you shove something _else_ of yours up my ass, Sasuke."

As Naruto had expected he might do, Sasuke's face blanched and his eyes widened with shock and slight horror. One of the boy's eyebrows twitched, and the color of his face went from ghost white pale to blood red in an instant. Well, that had definitely distracted him alright. Sasuke couldn't seem to think of anyway to respond to what Naruto had said, and so, the Uchiha let himself be dragged into the ramen shop without anymore open protests.

Naruto used food to distract himself from an awkward silence. _Damn,_ he thought, _I meant to take his mind off going home, but now I'm starting to get embarrassed by it a little bit. _

Once the noodles had all been slurped up, though, and the bowel was empty, he decided he should probably say something. He gave a nervous laugh when he saw the fierce stare Sasuke was giving, all the fires of Uchiha-hell burning in the other boy's eyes. Naruto regretted what he had said even more.

"So… uh…" he started to say.

"What?" Sasuke demanded bluntly.

"Um… yeah. So…" Sasuke stared at him with cruel, dead eyes. "Jeez I'm sorry okay! I didn't mean it and I shouldn't have said it!" Sasuke's look didn't change and Naruto gave a frustrated sigh. On impulse he decided to play off the sad-boy act. He lowered his eyes to floor and said meekly, "I just… I haven't seen you in two weeks and I just… I wanted you to spend some time with me. And it seems like the only way I can ever get you to do that is by force. I'm sorry."

Naruto did not look up from the floor, but was surprised to find that his words were actually somewhat true. He really _had_ missed Sasuke. And the fact that he was constantly _forcing_ Sasuke to spend time with him was true enough. For a moment, it all made Naruto very sad inside. _I love you, Sasuke,_ he thought. _But you must never know that…. _Hot tears threatened to boil over. _No, no, stupid Naruto! You can't cry! Not now, stupid._ Trying to blink away the tears, Naruto wondered if Sasuke had even heard what he had said. Maybe he had spoken too quietly?

But when he glanced up, he found that Sasuke's eyes had softened. Somewhat. About as much as an Uchiha's eyes _could_ soften. Trying to change the mood, the blonde boy abruptly smiled. Sasuke looked baffled.

"Hehe, I guess what I'm trying to say is… I just couldn't help myself," he stated with an innocent shrug.

Sasuke's annoyed look was back. When he spoke his voice nearly came out as a growl. "Yeah well, be sure to control yourself _next_ time you have the urge to pull a dumb ass move like that." Sasuke stared down at the bowel of noodles in front of him as if suddenly wondering what it was doing there. He hadn't even touched it.

"Eat your ramen, Sasuke, you need to eat something after a hard mission like that."

Naruto watched with a slight smile on his face as Sasuke reached out a curious hand toward the chopsticks next to the bowel. His look was confused, as if he was unsure of what he was doing. He picked a small bit of noodles from the bowel in front of him and took a reluctant bite. Naruto noticed a slight shrug, and Sasuke picked up another quick bite. It was so silly, because usually Sasuke hated ramen.

When Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto's lopsided smile, he asked, "What?"

Naruto shook his head slightly. "It's nothing."

They made small talk for a little while, neither really paying any attention to what the topic of the conversation was or what they were saying, and all the while Naruto watched with the same little smile as Sasuke munched away at his ramen. When finally Sasuke's bowel was empty -which was a surprise to Naruto- the raven haired boy asked bluntly, "So are you going to let me go home now?"

With a grin Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I meant what I said. You're coming over to my apartment if I have to drag you the whole way there... and you_ know_ I can do it Sasuke."

"I'd like to see you try dobe," Sasuke snarled.

"Sasuke, we probably shouldn't fight here in the village…. We could cause mass destruction. But if you really insist on not coming with me, a fight is unavoidable. So if it's going to come to that, tell me now so we can go somewhere else to do it."

Sasuke opened his mouth in protest, obviously about to snarl some kind of challenge, but then his jaw snapped shut as if unsure of exactly what to say. Finally he sat back with his arms crossed, almost like a pouting child. "Fine. But I'm _not_ wearing your clothes."

Naruto shrugged. "I'll go to the mansion while you're in the shower and bring you some."

The Uchiha gave a reluctant nod. "Alright."

On the way to the apartment, Naruto decided that there was something odd about the way Sasuke had given up so easily. Naruto had expected to be sitting there arguing back and fourth with him for about twenty minutes or so. This kind of reaction from Sasuke could _almost_ be described as… eager. He glanced over at the Uchiha, who was tense for some reason, and obviously trying to look relaxed. What was _wrong_ with him?

Finally at the apartment, Sasuke and Naruto were hit with another refreshing douse of awkward silence. Naruto quietly unlocked the door, and Sasuke sighed. Once actually inside though, the raven haired boy looked surprised. "You cleaned, dobe?"

Naruto shrugged. "There's not much else to do anymore."

It was true. The apartment that had once been the apartment from hell was now practically sparkling clean. He himself was surprised that he had found spare time to clean it in the two weeks that Sasuke was gone, what with all the time he had spent at the Uchiha mansion. Without really knowing why, Naruto grinned at Sasuke. The boy gave him a quizzical look.

Naruto practically had to push Sasuke into the shower and turn on the water for him just to get him in there. Despite all his protests that the bathroom was perfectly clean, Sasuke had not been very eager to use it. Naruto simply dragged the Uchiha inside - with a surprising lack of resistance on Sasuke's part - and pushed the guy into the tub. He quickly pulled the shower curtain shut and bid Sasuke farewell, saying that he would be back in a moment with clothes for him.

For an ordinary person, it would have taken 30 minutes or more to get to the mansion from the apartment and back, but Naruto managed the trip in 15, grinning and grabbing a quick drink from the fridge as he snuck away with Sasuke's clothes.

He gulped down half the drink on the way back to the apartment, which was probably unwise, but he was feeling good enough not to care, and the other half he drank sitting on the couch waiting for Sasuke. In a mirror on the wall across from him he could just barely see Sasuke's naked form through the steamy mist rolling through the cracked open door of the bathroom.

He shook his head, not feeling even the slightest buzz. _I can't keep thinking of him this way,_ Naruto thought gruffly. He huffed a short sigh. _I mean, it's not _like_ he's going to be sleeping alone with me in my apartment tonight…. Gah! No, no, no… bad thoughts Naruto. BAD thoughts._

"Hey dobe!" Naruto jumped at the sound of Sasuke's voice, and was surprised to see in the mirror the naked boy hanging halfway out the bathroom door, his bare torso still gleaming and wet. Naruto spun around so that he was actually looking at Sasuke, and not at his reflection. The Uchiha glared daggers. "I've been yelling at you for a while; what have you been doing?" He suddenly spotted the drink in the blonde boy's hand. "Have you been drinking?"

Naruto looked from the bottle, which was now empty, and back to Sasuke. "No. Uh- yes. I mean… well, I _have_ been drinking, but not much."

Sasuke gave an exasperated sigh. "Did you get my clothes?"

Slowly, Naruto looked down at the neatly folded clothes sitting on the couch next to him. He sat back and smirked. "Yeah I have your clothes."

When he didn't say anything more than that, Sasuke demanded, "Well bring them here."

"…No."

"What?"

Naruto relaxed a little more, raising the bottle to his lips before he remembered that it was empty. With a grimace he let it drop to the floor. _Fuck with being clean._ "I think if you want your clothes you're gonna have to come get 'em."

A bit of red sparked up in Sasuke's eyes, and Naruto wondered idly if it was because of anger, embarrassment, or the sharingan. His face was pretty red too, so Naruto assumed embarrassment. "Naruto…" Sasuke growled. "Don't fucking play games with me. I don't care if your drunk or not, bring me my clothes _now._"

"Nope. Sorry."

"Naruto-"

"Naruto Uzumaki is not home right now-"

"-so help me you _are_ going to get a kunai shoved up your ass today!"

"-would you like to leave a message?"

"Dobe…" Sasuke snarled.

"The demon fox kid from hell is currently out running the streets of Konoha and eating… _babies!_" The last was a maniacal whisper, and he couldn't help but giggle at it. The people in the village who still said such things were all blind idiots and obviously knew nothing about him.

"Exactly what were you _drinking_?" Sasuke demanded. Naruto jumped when he realized that the Uchiha was now standing right next to him, the couch hiding his body from the waist down. (Naruto took the moment to admire the guy's abs). Sasuke had his clothes in one hand and the empty bottle in the other, but Naruto didn't have a clue as to how he had gotten them without him noticing it.

Sasuke examined the bottle intently for a moment, then gave a quiet curse. "This is strong stuff Naruto."

"Pshh. I'm not drunk."

"Yeah, well… just don't take it personally if I don't believe you." Sasuke dropped the bottle on Naruto's stomach -it rolled off and shattered on the floor- and struggled to pull his boxers on. The Uchiha growled mumbled words under his breath for a moment. Finally he demanded, "Where'd you _get_ that anyway?"

"Your fridge," Naruto said with a shrug. His eyes widened slightly. _Oh shit…_

Sasuke frowned at him suspiciously for a moment. "_My_ fridge…?"

"Uh-" he laughed nervously "-hehe, no, I meant... _my_ fridge."

Sasuke glared a moment longer and announced, "I think I'd like to go home now."

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, sitting up.

Sasuke's look became even more suspicious than it had been before. "Why not? It's _my_ mansion-"

"But you can't!"

"Why not Naruto? What's going on there that I don't know about?"

What followed was another long silence, but far from awkward. Naruto frantically searched his brain for something to do or say. He hardly noticed Sasuke's intense stare. _Dammit, I should think before I- _Suddenly he got an idea. Maybe there was a way to avoid answering the question, after all.

With a small sigh, Naruto climbed up to sit on the edge of the couch, his legs dangling off the end. "What are you doing dobe?" Sasuke demanded. He was still standing there in his boxers. Naruto ignored him and brought the Uchiha closer. Sasuke struggled to get away but was caught in between Naruto's legs and, Naruto arms held him in place around his waist and shoulders.

Their lips met and Sasuke's resistance seemed to melt away like ice-cream on a hot summer day. Naruto took this to his advantage….

Sasuke pushed away abruptly, and breathlessly, at the feel of Naruto's tongue sliding into his mouth. "Naruto," he hissed. With a little more force, Naruto buried a hand in the Uchiha's hair and brought their faces together again.

Again, Sasuke squirmed away. "Naruto!" he said more fiercely.

"Stop wriggling around Sasuke," Naruto mumbled. He slipped his legs tighter around Sasuke's waist and brought the other boy even closer, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen and his face to go red again. "I thought Uchiha's didn't blush?" Naruto crooned while nipping at Sasuke's neck. It was something Sasuke had said to him once, long ago.

"Uchiha's _don't_ blush!" he said heatedly, and with that Sasuke gave a final push and stumbled backward at the sudden release. Naruto fell back and flipped over the couch, landing on the shattered pieces of the broken bottle.

"Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed. He rushed to the other boy, forgetting for a moment that he was still in his boxers and that Naruto had very well just tried to molest him. "You _stupid drunk idiot!_" Sasuke accused loudly, (once he saw that Naruto was okay, of course).

The blonde boy stood up. "I told you, I'm not drunk," he muttered, brushing shards of glass off his clothes. "Eh, I didn't really get cut. Lucky I still had my jacket on."

Sasuke looked like he was about to blow a blood vessle. "I'm going back to the mansion," he said firmly. "And Naruto, I swear, if you've been hanging out over there while I've been gone, I will take and drink every alcoholic beverage you have stored in my fridge." He decided to add, "If it's in my fridge, in my house, then that means it's mine."

"It _is_ yours," Naruto agreed with a sigh.

Sasuke crossed his arms, then remembered that he was still holding his clothes. Quickly he slipped on his pants. "Willing to tell me what's been going on then?" he demanded.

"Sasuke… I can't"

"Why?"

"You'll kill me."

"What'd you do?"

"Sasuke…."

"What did you _do_ Naruto?"

Naruto sighed again. "I just… I know the reason you left was 'cause your birthday an' all-" one Sasuke's eyebrows twitched at this "-but tomorrow _is_ your birthday and we just- _I_ just wanted to do something… I don't know!… something special for you, you know?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, not quite sure what Naruto was implying. "So… you put alcohol in my refrigerator?"

Naruto couldn't stifle a laugh. He rubbed a hand through his hair. "No, no… hehe, no it's…. We were going to throw you a party Sasuke."

Another pause. "A party…?" he asked in a dangerously flat voice. "That's exactly what I was trying to _avoid, _dobe!"

"I _know_! That's why we gotta friggin' _force_ you to have fun! We've always gotta shove happiness down your throat just so you'll swallow it! You know we do the same thing every year… well, okay not _exactly_ the same thing, but we always throw you a party, whether you want one or not. You know that! What made you think this year would be any different?"

"Dobe, I don't _want_ a party, especially not in the house where my family was killed."

Naruto cut him off. "Oh come **_on_** Sasuke, are you _still_ pouting? Look, I know, Itachi betrayed your whole family and killed your clan, but that's over and done with now! Itachi is _dead._"

**_(A/N: I have no idea how and if Itachi really dies, because I haven't seen all the episodes yet, but in my story Sasuke has already killed him.)_**

"You can actually let yourself be _happy_ now, Sasuke," Naruto continued. "You can have a real _life_ now."

"…No, Naruto, I can't." Sasuke's voice had lowered and he was staring down at the ground. "Itachi took that from me long ago."

"Goddammit Sasuke, why are you so stubborn?" Sasuke glanced up in surprise. Naruto didn't _sound_ drunk. "The only reason you're not happy is because you _deny_ yourself happiness. Do you want to be alone all your life, is that it? You wanna stay in your big mansion where your evil psycho and oh-so-gay brother killed your family so long ago, and wallow in your self pity because you're the last of the clan?"

"No-" Sasuke began to protest, but Naruto's words ran right over him.

"And I suppose you've got _so_ many excuses too, don't you? In your mind you have made up all these little reasons why you can never be happy, and I'm sure you've come to believe them too, but don't you even _try_ to pull that bullshit with me, Sasuke, I know better than anyone else that..." He stopped suddenly.

"You know _what_ better than anyone else?" Sasuke asked when Naruto wouldn't continue.

"I know you Sasuke," Naruto replied quietly. "You might not think so, but I do." He walked over to the apartment door and opened it. "Go on," he said gesturing out the open doorway. "Leave, if that's what you want. Walk out this door right now and I swear to you that I'll cancel the party. You can keep all the drinks, and you don't even have to thank me for making the mansion a little more _livable._ You said you wanted to go, so go."

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a moment, all the emotions he was trying not to show flashing one by one in his eyes. Finally he took a reluctant step toward the door. "But-" Naruto started. Sasuke froze again. "-if you leave now, you'll be on your own. I'll never bother you again, and you won't ever have to worry about having me around… ever again. Leave, and I promise you won't have to put up with me anymore from this day forward."

After another moment of heartbreaking silence, Sasuke's look hardened stubbornly, and Naruto sighed, already knowing the decision he was going to make. Sasuke walked out the door. Naruto shut it behind him and collapsed to the ground in tears.


	2. Sickness

_**Disclaimer: **__Of course, I do not own Naruto

* * *

_

"Naruto…" At first, Sasuke's voice registered in Naruto's mind as another dream thrown in among the jumble. He mumbled in his sleep and smacked someone's hand away. "Naruto!" Sasuke's voice hissed again.

"Nnnnnnnmmmmhhh…! _Tomorrow _Sasuke!" Naruto whined in protest. (At this point Sasuke could not resist an anime sweat drop.)

"Dobe," he said flatly, raising his voice a little.

As if he had shouted in one of his ears, Naruto shot straight up and almost hit Sasuke in the process. He jumped to his feet and quickly spun, nearly tripping by getting his feet twisted up in the blankets. "Wha-? Sasuke…?" It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness as he attempted to kick the tangled knot of blankets away. In a sudden flood, memory came rushing back to him. With a sigh he plopped himself onto his bottom and threw off his sleeping cap.

"What do you want?" Naruto demanded somewhat sleepily. "I promised to leave you alone from now on… my word not enough for you?"

"No, that's not it Naruto…"

"Then what are you _doing_ here?"

Sasuke paused, and seemed to be examining him. Despite the fact that he was more than a little angry at the Uchiha for the moment, Naruto couldn't help but blush. What was Sasuke thinking, sitting there looking at him like that? "I- I changed my mind," Sasuke finally mumbled.

"…Isn't it a little late to be changing your mind?" Naruto questioned, still frowning and trying to suppress a yawn. He glanced over at the window near the bed -it was still pitch black outside- and wondered what time it was.

Sasuke gave a huff. "God, Naruto, I'm sorry, okay?" He paused again, and Naruto took this chance to examine _him_.

The Uchiha's hair was all a mess, noticeably lacking it's usual smooth perfection. His clothes -he was still wearing the same outfit he had been in when Naruto had last seen him- were wrinkled and lopsided as if he had thrown them off and pulled them on repeatedly, and possibly even slept in them too. And Sasuke's face….

His eyes held a deep worry, despite the frustration he was trying to make apparent. He seemed shaken, anxious beyond words. Sasuke was not used to being nervous, Naruto reminded himself, and that was probably why the Uchiha boy was a little more than jumpy.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut at the look on Sasuke's face that obviously said, _"Don't you dare ask me to apologize again…."_ With a wide yawn that made his jaws crack a little bit, Naruto leaned over the bed to pick up his alarm clock. 5:36a.m. "Did you stay up all night Sasuke?" Naruto asked, sitting back up.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, and Naruto noticed his hands shaking slightly. "I changed my mind," he repeated with a slight sniff. "Throw me a party. Do whatever you want. Use the mansion, pass out the drinks- I haven't had any of them. I haven't even gone to the mansion yet."

Naruto was about to ask what had caused this sudden change of heart when Sasuke suddenly sneezed and sniffed loudly. Naruto then noticed that not only was Sasuke trembling slightly, he was actually much paler than usual, and his nose was a bright pink. "You haven't been home yet…?" Naruto quoted. "So you've been out in the cold all this time? No wonder…." Sasuke flinched and looked on the point of jumping away when Naruto reached out a hand to brush the Uchiha's face with his fingers. "God Sasuke your skin is like fucking ice."

Sasuke tried to huff again, but it was drowned out in a cough that he tried his best to cover. "I'm fine," he said, ignoring the fact that his voice was cracking slightly.

"You're sick," Naruto pointed out. Sasuke glared at him, but Naruto didn't pay any attention to it. Quickly the blonde boy grabbed one of the blankets he had thrown to the floor, which had somehow mysteriously untangled itself, and draped it around Sasuke's shoulders, pulling it tight so to keep him warm. "And you must be starving. You've hardly had anything to eat all day-"

"I can go days without eating, dobe," Sasuke tried to interrupt.

"-and you'll need something to drink too. Water or milk?"

Sasuke took a deep breath, then said in a steady voice, "Naruto, I'm _not_ sick. Uchiha's don't get sick."

"Water or milk?" Naruto insisted.

Sasuke gave an aggravated sigh and didn't bother to cover the next cough. "I hate milk."

"Water it is then. And I'll fix you some ramen."

"_More _noodles?" Sasuke asked with a pained expression as Naruto headed for the door.

"Of course," Naruto replied with a foxy grin. "Haven't you heard? Soup is the best thing to eat when you're sick." Sasuke scoffed. "And don't pull any ninja tricks while I'm gone," Naruto warned. "Which means no jumping away out the window. You'd probably just fall and break your neck anyway with how much the cold has eaten away at your chakra by now. Stay here, I'll be back in about three minutes."

Sasuke did not give a reply. Instead, he leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes, sniffing and coughing. Naruto took that as Sasuke's way of saying "whatever" or "okay, go fix the damn noodles, I'm too sick to fuck with you right now anyway." Naruto smirked slightly. He had gotten pretty good at interpreting Uchiha lingo.

As the ramen cooked, Naruto couldn't help but worry a little bit, despite his positive side telling him that Sasuke was strong and would be perfectly alright. But Sasuke was right - Uchiha's _didn't_ get sick… in fact Naruto couldn't remember Sasuke _ever_ being sick before. _There's a first time for everything,_ he reminded himself, but still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was seriously wrong. Of course, he was glad that Sasuke had come back to him and had apologized, but depending on whether the sickness took a turn for the better or the worse, there might not be a party just yet after all. _Sick on his birthday,_ Naruto mused. _Man that would suck. I hope it doesn't come to that._

Finally Naruto brought back to his dark room the steaming bowel of noodles and glass of water, and was very relieved to see that Sasuke hadn't tried to leave… in fact it looked as if the boy had hardly moved. Setting down the ramen and water on a nearby dresser, Naruto crawled over to Sasuke -who was, of course, leaning in the far corner of the bed- just to make sure the Uchiha was alright. Naruto couldn't force down the sweet smile when he realized that Sasuke was breathing gently… he had fallen asleep.

Sasuke's nose was pink, his hair was all tangled and sticking up, his clothes were wrinkled, and he was surrounded by two puffy blankets. To put it in simpler terms, the guy was a mess. But for a moment, just a moment, Naruto was glad to see that Sasuke, just like everybody else, was above all, human. On impulse, he held his breath and leaned in close to give the sleeping boy a soft peck on the cheek.

Piping hot ramen on the dresser now all but forgotten, Naruto crawled in beside Sasuke and easily pulled him into a gentle hold. The Uchiha muttered protests, and his brow creased momentarily before he sank back into peaceful, dreamless sleep on Naruto's shoulder.

Sasuke's muscles were tight with worry and sickness, so Naruto took a little of his own blue-red chakra and massaged Sasuke's shoulders and upper arms and neck as tenderly as possible so the boy would not wake. Eventually, Sasuke's whole body relaxed and he let out a soft, contented sigh in his sleep. Naruto's own eyelids drooped as he watched the boy, and wasn't even aware that he was beginning to drift before he was already snoozing soundly with Sasuke wrapped protectively in his arms.

* * *

Memory did not come back very swiftly the next morning. Naruto opened his eyes and looked around, wondering why he was leaned against one of the walls with a cold blanket in his lap. Then he saw the ramen bowel over on the dresser and he remembered…. _Sasuke!_ Naruto hopped out of bed and quickly pulled on some decent clothes, fully expecting to have to leave the apartment. _Dammit, Sasuke… I swear, if you left as sick as you were, and if you're not dead by now, I'll kill you when I find you!_

He gave a half-growl as he yanked open the bedroom door. He took two quick steps before his brain registered the sight before him.

Sasuke looked surprised to see Naruto out in such a rush. The boy was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a glass of milk. His hair was still a mess, and his clothes were still wrinkled; it was obvious that he had just woken up. After a moment of examination, Naruto decided that the Uchiha looked considerably better. Tired, but better. "I thought you didn't like milk," Naruto commented casually as he sat across from Sasuke, as if he had not just been about to dart out of the apartment to go on a full-out rampage.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's supposed to be good for you. And, as I said, Uchiha's aren't supposed to be sick so… I might as well try to make sure it doesn't happen again." He took another sip and made a face. He pushed away the half empty glass. "Enough of that stuff and I might actually grow to like it," he muttered.

"So… you're better?" Naruto asked.

"Apparently." Sasuke made another face. "No more coughing, no more sneezing, and no more… _sniffles._" He winced at the word._ "_My chakra level seems back to normal, so I should be alright."

Naruto nodded and went about to making some breakfast. First, he grabbed some bacon and eggs, some frying pans, bowels, spoons, and whatever other implements it took to fix a proper breakfast. "You cook?" Sasuke asked curiously from behind. He sounded surprised.

Naruto snorted. "Of course I cook. I do sometimes -_sometimes!_- get the urge to eat something other than ramen, you know. Plus I've had to go on missions where the skill was necessary…."

Sasuke suddenly laughed. "Who taught you how to cook?"

The blonde grinned at him from over his shoulder. "Iruka and Sakura." Sasuke scoffed and mumbled something that sounded like "figures."

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "you have to get your strength back up. If it weren't for that I'd probably just fix you some fruitloops or something but…. You haven't eaten in a while, Sasuke, and if you have then it wasn't very much. With an empty stomach and being outside in the cold for so long, well, that's probably what caused you to get so sick."

"You don't have to worry about it," Sasuke muttered.

"The hell I don't," Naruto snorted.

They spent the rest of the morning in silence. The food was quickly prepared and served, and was eaten almost as quickly. Once every bite had been munched down, and both were content with stomachs now full, Naruto was the first to speak. "Happy birthday by the way, Sasuke." He could almost feel the gleam in his blue eyes as they made contact with Sasuke's much darker ones.

Sasuke nodded, turning his head to avoid looking directly at him. "Thanks," he said almost too quietly for Naruto to hear. Then he sighed. "So… what are we doing today?"

Naruto's face broke out with a grin. "Well, practically everyone in the village is expecting a party today at a certain mansion…. Still feeling up for it?"

Sasuke rubbed his forehead and sighed again. "Is this what it takes to make you people happy - driving me crazy?"

Naruto's grin had not faded. "You got it."

"Well… alright then. But… well, just…." He seemed to fumble around for the right words for a moment. "Damn, I can't put any rules down on a party can I? Even one in my own house?"

"_Especially_ one in your own house," Naruto agreed. "Definitely not."

Sasuke groaned, and yet somehow managed to make it seem as though he did not completely hate the idea. "Alright, let's just get this over with."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _sorry it's about half the size of the first chap. I promise I'll try to make the next one longer. Well, hope you like it so far, and hope you keep reading!_


	3. One Big Sasuke Headache

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto_

* * *

Sasuke had understood there was going to be a party, but what he hadn't been aware of at the time was just how many _people_ would be there. Knowing Naruto, he should have at least suspected that when the dobe said "the whole village," he _meant_ the _whole_ village. Upon entering the mansion -after all the ninjas of Konoha had already popped out of their carefully chosen hiding places, scaring the shit of him- Sasuke groaned. The mansion, with all it's space, was packed full. Who knew there could be so many people in such a little village as this?

Sasuke, though, had come prepared. Of course, Sasuke being Sasuke, he had a plan. Well, a rough sketch of a plan at least.

**Step 1: **_arrive and looked semi-shocked._

**Step 2:** _glare at the party guests until they all start getting a little more than uncomfortable. (Maybe then I can keep them all under my thumb and under control)._

**Step 3:** _get absolutely wasted. _(Hey, if there's alcohol -_free_ alcohol, at that- why not drink it? It was _his_ party after all).

Sasuke hadn't planned on a "step 4" quite yet, but he decided that if he still needed the plan at that point, he would think of one when the time called for it. He might even throw in an extra step between the first three steps, just for the hell of it. Why? Because Sasuke was just that kind of person, that's why, and if you didn't like him he could care less.

Well, "step 1" went pretty smoothly, except the fact that he didn't act shocked at all, just pissed. Between "step1" and "step 2," "step 3" decided to jump in a little early as people started shoving drinks at him. It seemed that, along with Naruto's stash that had already been there, almost everyone had brought a cooler with even more liquor packed inside. Sasuke would bet that every kind of alcoholic beverage ever made was at his mansion that day.

Also, most people had brought him gifts -and most of those certain people were, of course, fan girls. So mainly he just looked at the packages and piled them one by one in a dark corner somewhere so that he _might_ look at them again later. Funny thing was, not a single girl objected to having their "perfect, special, and priceless" gift shoved away and forgotten about. He growled, frustrated and annoyed, under his breath. Not even being openly rude to them would make them leave him alone. "Step 2" was being put into effect.

Somewhere and some time later among the chaos, he managed to find Naruto. Well, _run into_ Naruto would probably be a better way to put it. The Kyuubi container was walking straight through the middle of the crowded living room, laughing and stumbling drunkenly with one arm thrown sluggishly around Kiba Inuzuka's shoulders. "Dobe, I fucking swear I am going to _kill _you for this," Sasuke growled, indicating the party as a whole.

But Naruto just laughed some more, abandoning Kiba's shoulders for Sasuke's instead, only causing more irritation on the Uchiha's part. "Sasuke, man, this is _your_ party. At least _try_ to enjoy it. Seriously, _lighten up_." Sasuke only glared harder. "…Eh. Fine, be an asshole. Come on, you need some more to drink."

_Finally, time to engage step three to full action,_ Sasuke thought, brushing a hand through his messy hair. _Thank god. _"Wasted" was what he needed at the moment - maybe it would get rid of his goddamn headache.

From that point on the party was a blur. A distant, hazy, blur. He vaguely remembered Naruto dancing around on the bar in the basement, loud music and people laughing in the background. Sasuke happened to be sitting at the bar and looking up at him, and before long Naruto had his shirt off, revealing perfect abs. Sasuke also -distantly- remembered admiring him at that moment.

The next thing -and the last thing- Sasuke could really remember was Naruto in his infamous "Sexy Jutsu" form, wearing a skimpy little outfit that could hardly be considered an outfit at all, and still dancing around up on the bar, winking and throwing suggestive smiles Sasuke's way. The girls who were around had been frowning at him and had called him an idiot, but the guys in the room gave him a big round of applause for the way he was strutting about, showing off long legs and medium sized breasts. All the while Naruto just kept giggling and winking.

But that was the _last _thing Sasuke remembered, as mentioned a moment before. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a killer headache. Sasuke had been intoxicated plenty of times in his life, but he couldn't remember _ever_ having a hangover before. God, he was an _Uchiha_ for crying out loud. Uchiha's did _not _get hungover, and Uchiha's _never _got sick. What the fuck was _wrong_ with him lately? Was his body just _malfunctioning_ or some shit?

Anyway, Sasuke was such a wreck that next day that he didn't even care for the fact that he woke up naked. And his brain just did not register the fact that his bed smelled faintly like Naruto's apartment. Recovery was a long while in coming. In fact, almost a week in coming. Or at least, that was how long the head splitting lasted. During the week after that he would still get occasional spells of migraines. During the headaches he wouldn't be able to move or walk or talk, or even sleep. Sometimes the migraine would last for as long as three hours, other times it was only a few minutes.

_God, how is a hangover this bad even _possible, he wondered one day while rubbing his forehead.

But if the headaches were bad, the state of the house was even worse. It had been perfect _before_ the party, but now…. Ugh. Just ugh. He didn't even want to _think_ about clean up duty. He almost called up some of the ninjas of the village and told them to "fucking get here and clean his fucking house." And he would have called them, if not for his head hurting so much so that he could not even use the phone.

So, Sasuke _attempted_ to clean the mansion himself, and was about halfway done nearly a month later. There were still a few broken windows and carpet stains to be accounted for, the refrigerator door still hung slightly off its hinges, and there were empty bottles everywhere, most of them broken. He didn't even consider opening the presents he had been given - each and every one of them still jammed into the corners all around the house. He simply went around and began stuffing each little pile into plastic garbage bags.

Sasuke was slow when it came to chores, you understand. He just wasn't used to doing it, and he definitely wasn't used to the headaches. A month after the party and the pain was almost constant. This was definitely not a hangover.

So, Sasuke Uchiha finally broke down and gathered the strength to drag himself over to Tsunade's.

After a painful 30 minutes of intense questioning and cursing, the old hag finally gave him something for his headaches and made him leave. _She didn't have to get all pissy,_ he thought grumpily. _It's not _my_ fault if she got hungover too. It's not like I was the one who planned the damn party._

The medicine Tsunade had given him worked surprisingly well for his headaches - and thank god, or else he probably would have marched right back to her doorstep and demanded she give him something else. At least the lack of head splitting headaches gave him more resolve to clean. Another month, and the house was _finally _back to the way it had been before - not saying that it was perfect, just decently habitable. That was good, of course, but he had hardly seen anyone that he really knew since the night of the party. Not that he minded that part of course - as an Uchiha he especially enjoyed his peace and alone time. But he was also in dire need of _food._ He was completely out… of _everything._ Sighing, he left for the village... again - only twice since the night of the party.

Sasuke saw a few familiar faces in town that day, and he gave slight nods to acknowledge them, but never anything more than that. The Uchiha growled under his breath when he reached the grocery store, though. He _despised_ shopping, even just _grocery_ shopping.

_Fuck it. I'd rather eat _ramen_ than go there._ He shivered inwardly at the thought of having to carry bags upon plastic bags of groceries home with him.

So, Sasuke turned away from the store and paid the ramen shop a visit. Surprisingly, the little place was noticeably Naruto-less, and as Sasuke munched over ramen - _ramen_ of all things - he pondered on whether he considered that a good thing or not. It wasn't until after he had already finished his meal that he realized he was sitting in the same exact seat he and Naruto had been sitting that day after he had arrived back from his mission. He remembered what Naruto had said that day: _"I just… I haven't seen you in two weeks and I just… I wanted you to spend some time with me…."_ Of course, Sasuke had recognized it as a lie before the words even left the blonde dobe's lips… but then he saw the emotions flash across Naruto's face as he considered his own words. The dobe had almost actually cried.

Sasuke shook himself out of it and proceeded to go for a walk, and then he thought that _maybe_ he _might _consider grocery shopping. God, he didn't want to be eating _ramen_ all the time. He shuddered at the very thought.

Standing upon the all too familiar bridge, he leaned over the railing, and watched the sky darken as day faded slowly into night. The sky had just turned a bluish-grey when he heard a very small voice from behind. "Um… Sasuke?"

* * *

_**A/N: **Again, sorry sorry, sorry. I've been busy and I didn't mean for this chap. to be so short. I promise the next one is longer and I'm almost done. Please stick around, and please don't hate me. -sweat drop-_


	4. Naruto's Issues

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Naruto._

_**A/N: **Part four is finally finished!! Yaay! I hope you're as excited about it as I am cuz I had to struggle through some serious writers block here folks. Anywayz, this chapter is a lot longer than any of the others, so I hope you like it!_

* * *

The one good thing about being the demon kid of the village was that Naruto never got hangovers. The ninetailed fox simply would not allow it. Apparently, since he was trapped in Naruto's body, the fox demon could only see whatever Naruto saw, and headaches annoyed the hell out of him.

Now, Naruto had to admit that, when he woke up naked and in sexy-jutsu form the next morning in Sasuke's bed, he was scared shitless. Especially when Sasuke was next to him and had his arms wrapped around his waist… and not only that but there was also a foolish little smile on the Uchiha boy's sleeping face. Needless to say, Naruto had jumped up and out of the place as fast as his legs would take him. It was only back home in his own apartment, his clothes wrinkled and hanging all a mess, did he realize that he had still not changed out of the jutsu.

Breathing hard, he quickly made the hand signs and muttered under his breath. Nothing happened. He must've done it too fast. He made the hand signs again.

…Nothing. Naruto stood in front of a mirror. He tried again, even slower. Still, nothing.

The blonde boy (or girl - for the moment anyway) attempted over and over and over again, each time going through every little hand motion a little more slowly, trying to pick up on where he kept messing up. Finally, with an aggravated growl, he gave up and prowled the apartment. Not only had he probably had sex with Sasuke last night, but now he could not even change back out of his own jutsu. What the fuck was wrong with him? Seeing the old bowel of ramen from a few nights past still sitting on the dresser in his room, Naruto hit it as hard as he could. The bowel went flying across the room and crashed against a wall.

It was Sasuke's fault, he finally concluded. The Uchiha had fucked him, and that had done something to Naruto's chakra. That _had_ to be it. Ninja boys were just not meant to be together! _But you wanted to be with Sasuke,_ a voice in his head reminded him. Naruto growled some more.

_I wonder if I can use my chakra at all?_ Naruto thought. He went outside and attempted to walk up a tree. He accomplished it, but not with as much ease as he would have been able to before. _What is the _matter_ with me?!_

_Maybe you should go see Tsunade,_ the voice in his head advised.

_No way! Then I'd have to tell her I got drunk and slept with Sasuke!_

_You won't have to tell her that… just tell her you can't change out of your jutsu._

Naruto decided to ignore that voice.

The blonde boy considered doing a lot of different things that day. He had even thought about barging his way back into the Uchiha mansion and demanding of Sasuke what the hell had happened that night… but_ that_ idea was definitely out of the question. The truth was, if something _had_ happened between them, Naruto didn't want to know about it. Or at least, not yet. He could almost foresee a conversation that was awkward as hell. _Damn you Sasuke,_ Naruto growled.

_Go see Tsunade,_ the voice recommended again.

_I can't!_

_Stop being so immature, Naruto. Go see Tsunade._

_Now you sound like Sakura… and no!_

_Naruto…_

_Shut up!_

Well, that was the end of one conversation between him and the mysterious voice. He didn't even want to think about _that _at the moment.

Trying to clear his head, Naruto plopped himself down on his bed, shoving away a few shattered pieces of the broken bowel as he did so. He rested his elbows upon his knees and played with his long blonde ponytails for a moment. Something would definitely have to be done about this. He couldn't just go walking around Konoha as a woman all the time. He had to think of a way to disguise himself for a while, but only until he figured out what was wrong with him and was able to transform back.

Slowly, he stood up and left the room. In the living room of the apartment, he stood in front of the mirror, frowning at his very female reflection. He considered then what life would be like if he were to never change out of this form again.

_Be a woman… forever?_ he wondered.

Well… it had its pros and cons. He was surprised to find himself actually… sad. Being sad was not really a surprise, it was the reason _why_ he was sad that didn't make any sense. As a girl, he'd probably never be able to get near Sasuke ever again. Sasuke despised fan girls. Too excited and giggly and talkative for his own tastes. Sasuke would probably never be able to accept Naruto like this.

Suddenly the reflection in front of him became hazy, and he wiped a hand across the glass only to find that it was not the mirror that had fogged - there were tears in his eyes. He blinked and bowed his head, sniffling. _Get your act together Naruto!_ he commanded himself weakly. _Now you're even _acting_ like a girl._ Wiping his eyes, he took a deep breath.

Then, suddenly, he was irritated. He was supposed to be _angry _with Sasuke, so why the hell was he crying over him?! "Stupid Sasuke," he muttered. "Stupid _Naruto_!" He looked up at his reflection again, baby blue eyes staring back at him. The face in the mirror wasn't one of anger or hate, like he had expected it to be. There were dry streaks where tears had run down his face, and his eyes were a little red. His long blond hair was a little muddled, and his lower lip quivered slightly.

Naruto gave an aggravated sigh. He kind of hated being a woman.

* * *

_Naruto jumped down from where he was dancing around on the bar down in the basement of the Uchiha mansion. No longer giggling, he walked away, giving Sasuke a little suggestive smirk on his way out. The men in the room all gave exclamations of disappointmet as Naruto exited, for he was in Sexy Jutsu form at the time, and the men of Konoha all liked that very much. The women in the room, however, applauded his departure. They, at least, were glad to see him go._

_Naruto waited out in the hallway, glancing over to see two lovers making out not too far away. Obviously they had come out into the hallway to get away from the crowd, but they were so into each other at the moment that they didn't even notice anybody else was around. Naruto crossed his arms over his breasts and smirked._

_As suspected, it only took a few minutes for Sasuke to come stumbling out of the room and into the hallway, a mischevious gleam in his eyes as he roughly grabbed Naruto by the waist._

_Naruto and Sasuke, both very obviously drunk off their asses, twirled in a sort of dance on their way to the bedroom, passing the kissing couple who didn't even look up to see who they were. The dance was a dangerous one though, because neither Sasuke or Naruto were paying any attention to where they were going, and they kept slamming into walls and falling to the floor, still kissing as if their lips were super-glued together._

_Finally they somehow managed to find their way upstairs and into Sasuke's bedroom. Sasuke scooped the blond up into his arms, and Naruto was quickly spread across the bed. He felt like a king. Or even better, a queen._

* * *

Naruto gasped, sitting up so fast that he fell off the couch. He landed on the hard wooden floor with an "oof!" and stood while rubbing his behind. _What the hell is that all about?_ he demanded of himself, referring to the dream he had just had. _Memories of something that actually happened? Or was it just a dream brought on by the thought of..._ He shuddered slightly. The shiver was not for the fact that he was now pretty much sure he had had man-sex with Sasuke, but more for the fact that he had actually _enjoyed_ the memories of it.

_You're still a woman you know,_ that voice in his mind noted, interrupting his thoughts.

Naruto gave a huff and looked down at his body. _I know,_ he replied, a little annoyed by this voice that kept invading his privacy. Apparently he had fallen sleep while thinking of a way out of the situation he was in. But the sex dream had shaken him. Perhaps it was time to take the advice of that voice and just go to Tsunade.

_Smart thinking,_ the voice commented with approval. _No doubt that would be the best thing to do._

_Shut up before I change my mind,_ Naruto snapped.

And so, Naruto had decided. As much as he hated to admit the voice was right - because that voice was _always_ so infuriatingly right - he had to confess it had a point; perhaps Tsunade really was his best chance at the moment. Naruto went over to stand in front of the mirror again. He was defiantly going to have to do something about his appearance first, though. There was no way he was going _anywhere_ looking the way he was.

So, Naruto took down his hair from it's usual ponytails, surprised to see that it actually almost swept the floor. He wondered how it would affect his hair in his natural form if he cut it while in Sexy Jutsu form. Walking away from his reflection, he snatched his belt pouch from his room and reached inside for the sharpest kunai he had.

Standing before the mirror once again, he winced as he snipped off a lock of that long hair, and watched in fascination as it floated to the floor. Naruto spent the next several minutes cutting away, the pile of blond hair at his feet growing larger and larger with every snip. Finally, he stopped.

The hair was now barely shoulder-length, but was it enough? If he left the apartment like this, would people still be able to recognize him? He frowned, seeing as being recognized was what he was currently trying to avoid.

Perhaps... Perhaps if he didn't try to change completely _out_ of the jutsu, just tried to _alter _it a little bit….

Naruto made a few simple hand signs, and surprisingly, something actually happened. His hair was curly now, and stringy as if he had used plenty of hair gel in it. Of course, it was also a bit shorter now, seeing as curls seemed to have that affect on hair.

Naruto touched the golden locks with a curious hand. He had never had _curly_ hair before.

_That will do,_ the voice in his head commented. _Now try changing something other than your hair._

Naruto nodded determinedly and prepared for more hand signs. A few moments later, and his look was flawless. His hips were no longer so prominent, his breasts not nearly as large, and - at the suggestion of the voice in his head - he had also made his eyelashes a little longer, so that they fluttered gracefully with every blink. He had a theory that if he blinked slowly enough, and tried to look as cute as possible, he could definately catch a few eyes.

…but not any of the eyes that he _wanted_ to catch. Oh sure, people would notice him but… not Sasuke.

He shook his head vigorously. _Stop it Naruto! You're supposed to be mad at that guy for fucking you up, remember?!_

With a sigh, and praying that this would work, he crossed the room to the nearest window and jumped out as quickly as possible. (No one should see him leaving his apartment, because then that would defeat the whole purpose of the disguise). He made it to Tsunade's place quickly enough, jumping nervously whenever someone looked his way, his legs shaking as he wondered whether he might run into Sasuke. Instead of barging in on her as he usually might have done (he needed to act as un-Naruto-ish as possible, after all) he politely knocked on the door. When Tsunade answered, he put on a childlike face and tried to look as innocent and as harmless as possible.

The woman simply stood there and looked at him for a moment, frowning slightly and rubbing her forehead. "Come in," she barked finally, swinging the door open wider and walking inside. Naruto followed her in curiously. She was in an even worse mood than usual. _She was at Sasuke's party,_ he suddenly remembered. Then he winced. _She was drinking harder than any of us! …She's probably got a headache from hell._

"What do you want?" Tsunade demanded as soon as they were in the same room together.

"Um… well," Naruto stared slowly.

"Get on with it girl, I've got no time for games today."

Apparently, this wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought it would be. "Well… it's just that…" His mind raced as he tried to find the right words to say. For the first time he could ever remember, he called out to that little voice in his head? _What do I do? _he demanded. _You were the one who bullied me here, now give me something to say!_

Somehow he knew the voice was laughing. _Demanding my help now, are you? That's too bad. You've shut me out far too many times in the past couple days… you're on your own kid._

Naruto wanted to growl. "It's me, Tsunade-sama," he managed to say. "Naruto."

Tsunade stared at him for a moment, disbelieving. "Dont' be silly. Seriously, who are you and what do you want?"

"No, I _am _serious! It's really me, Naruto! I haven't been able to change out of this form ever since Sasuke's stupid party!"

She looked at him for a long moment, studying him carefully. Then, she began to laugh. "You're _stuck_ like that?!" she demanded through her laughter. "Oh my _god, _Naruto…"

"Are you going to help me, hag, or not?" Naruto demanded, putting fists on his hips and glaring. "I would like to know what's wrong with me. My chakra seems to be running low or something… I don't know why. I almost wasn't even able to walk up a tree."

Tsunade suddenly became eerily serious. She put a hand on her chin, lost in thought, and frowned while studying him. "Have you done anything… strange lately?" she asked, all traces of previous laughter now gone. "Exactly what did you do at that party? That may have something to do with it."

Naruto bowed his head slightly, trying not to let her see him blush.

_I feel bad for you kid,_ the voice in his head commented. _I'll help you out. Don't freak out, just stay calm and be yourself._

_What do you mean?_ Naruto wondered, a little worried at what exactly the voice was going to do.

"I don't really remember much of what went on at the party," Naruto answered. His eyes widened in shock. He had spoken, but he hadn't been the one to move his lips. _What are you doing?_ he demanded of that voice.

_Stay calm, I said!_ the voice snapped.

"Ah yes…" Tsunade replied, rubbing her forehead again. "I can relate."

_Are you done yet? _Naruto demanded. The voice taking over his body was just… too freaky.

_Do you want my help or not?_

_Not anymore. I can handle it on my own, thank you._

The voice hissed angrily, but backed down anyway. "Well…?" Naruto asked, relieved to have full control of his body back. "What should I do? What do you think's wrong with me?"

The woman heaved a great sigh, still rubbing her forehead, and spoke. "Fine, I guess I'll help you. But you owe me one."

With a sigh of his own, he nodded. "Alright then, hag."

She frowned at him for that, but continued on anyway. After several tests dealing with his chakra flow and many other things he wasn't sure of, Tsunade finally gave him an answer. Once the tests were complete, Naruto was beginning to get excited… and a little anxious too. Maybe he could change back into a guy now and everything could go back to normal. "Well?" he asked the woman seriously. "Can you tell me what's wrong with me? What'd you find out?"

Tsunade looked at him gravely for a moment, a slight frown on her face. They just sat there for a minute, looking at one another in silence, neither making a move or speaking a word. Finally she said, "I have absolutely no idea."

Naruto fell off the table she had him sitting on. "Tsunade!" he complained. He moaned in frustration.

She just smirked at him. "I'm completely serious - I have not a clue. You'll just have to stay in that form a little longer Naruto, and keep coming in for check-ups every now and then."

"What?! But that's just not right! I don't want to be a woman! What if people find out?"

She laughed. "Well that's what you get for using that jutsu in the first place."

Needless to say, Naruto was not in very high sprits when he left. For a while he wandered the town, wondering what his next move should be. He couldn't go back to his apartment, of course, for fear that someone would see him coming and going and would suspect something. And he couldn't talk to the people he knew, or tell them what was wrong, because they would just laugh at him like Tsunade had.

Sitting on the edge of the too-familiar bridge, he heaved a sigh. _Maybe I should go get some ramen. _And while the thought was mouth watering, going out to eat ramen was something Naruto Uzumaki would do, and he was still trying to be as un-Nartuo-ish as possible.

Finally, a decision was made for him as a tiny raindrop landed on his nose. It was then he realized that he had to move; he couldn't just sit here all day. Naruto glanced up to see that the sky had turned dark and cloudy. A gloomy sky for a gloomy day. Another raindrop followed the first, and before he knew it he was standing soaked in the middle of the street, freezing.

Naruto's emotions were running wild today. It was the one reason why he hated his jutsu so much; in becoming a woman physically he also became a woman emotionally. The rain was cold and he felt dirty all over. He held himself to keep from shaking as he stood near a building in hopes that he might somehow become warmer or not get as wet. His hair was drenched and all a mess, and he hated the way his clothes clung to his body.

Miserably, Naruto sank to the ground in tears, hugging his knees.

It wasn't long before he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He raised his head and wiped the tears from his eyes to see Sakura crouched down beside him, a concerned look on her face. Without thinking, Naruto almost said her name out loud. He opened his mouth to speak, then quickly snapped it back shut.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked him. She was wearing a yellow raincoat and holding an umbrella over her head. "You're not from around here are you?"

_Good,_ the voice in his head whispered. _She hasn't recognized you. Just play along._

He wiped his nose and shook his head, trying to put on an innocent face. (At least _that _could be accomplished easily enough). "Who are _you_?" he asked meekly.

The pink haired girl smiled. "My name is Sakura." She offered a hand. "Come with me to my apartment, if you have no where else to go. I can give you some clean clothes, and a dry place to stay." She glanced up at the umbrella. "I'm not sure how much good it'll do seeing as you're already drenched, but you can share my umbrella too, if you want." Sakura gave another reassuring smile, and Naruto found himself genuinely shocked at how nice she was. Why had he never noticed it before?

Taking her hand, he stood and walked beside her beneath the protection of the umbrella.

Sakura talked a lot on the way to her apartment. Mostly she told him about the village, things that she didn't know he already knew, and she asked him questions too. She asked for his name and where he had come from, why he was in Konoha… things like that. He knew it was an idiot move, but seeing as he couldn't come up with anything better to say, he faked amnesia. He claimed that he couldn't remember any of his past life, his home, or any of his family members, not even his own name. According to his lie, the only thing he could remember was wandering into the village. Surprisingly, Sakura believed him.

The pink haired girl was sympathetic.

"So what shall we call you?" the girl mused while unlocking the door to her apartment. She smiled suddenly. "Perhaps… Maria? Or maybe Ayako. Hm."

Naruto smiled and nodded, not really caring what name she picked for him, just as long as she believed him _not_ Naruto Uzumaki. "Ayako is a lovely name," he commented shyly. He hoped he was acting like a woman should. He just wasn't used to it. The only reason he had ever used sexy jutsu before was to flaunt his stuff, not to actually fool people into believing him a woman.

Well, looks like things were about to change for him.

"Well, alright then Ayako," Sakura said with a reassuring smile as she finally pushed the door open. "This is my apartment. Perhaps tomorrow I can show you around and introduce you to some of the other girls here…."

* * *

Naruto was surprisingly content with the new lifestyle he had adapted. It was a bit unnerving at first, with all those girls around him all the time, and sleeping in the same apartment as Sakura and all… Oh sure he had been on missions and things with her before where they had slept near each other in sleeping bags, but on missions Sakura had never broken down. She had never showed up at his bedroom door crying, had never laid down with him and expected him to take care of her, to hold her and make the pain go away.

Naruto had found that particular experience sufficiently awkward.

He was learning quickly, though, the art of being a woman. It really _was _an art. He was actually surprised at himself by how eager he was to join in the excited little gossiping sessions and small squabbles that girls sometimes had.

He found that he liked this new feeling. As much as he would hate to admit it, he _liked_ being a woman.

Girls stuck up for each other. They seemed to see past everything else and find what was really important (unless of course, they were really really pissed). They understood things, they knew things, and they were sly and devious. Naruto had never before known how pathetic men were compared to women. They truly - and once again this is something he would never admit otherwise - dominated.

It was nice to be on the winning side for a change, even if before - as a boy - he had never quite realized that he _was_ on the losing side.

_**(A/N: haha, sorry people. I hope I'm not offending anybody by this, I just couldn't resist.)**_

Also, as promised, Naruto (AKA "Ayako") stopped in with Tsunade once a week. He had been worried about how to come up with an excuse for visiting her for his new girl-friends (Hinata, Ino, Sakura, TenTen… etc), and he had been quite surprised when they made the suggestion first. So, to them, he was stopping in to see Tsunade so often because of his amnesia. But he and Tsunade knew the truth.

When the old hag learned what he was up to, she hadn't stopped laughing and berating him for weeks. She playfully called him "Ayako" all the time, and grinned amusingly at the different outfits he wore, his different hairstyles, and she was especially unbearable whenever he wore make up. It was those girls' faults really. At first, he hadn't wanted glitter and nail polish, he hadn't wanted blush and hairspray and mascara and eyeliner… but with his near-perfect complexion they had absolutely insisted. He had been bullied into it, but was surprisingly pleased with the results.

It was almost exactly two whole months since the night of the party when Tsunade finally had a breakthrough. She was doing her usual checkups, testing certain parts of his body for chakra flow and such. Naruto found that he didn't really mind being poked and prodded like this once a week; it was almost like a free massage or something. Tsunade's hands slipped from his shoulders to his chest and to his stomach, as they always did, the look on her face stating clearly that she did not expect to find anything new.

At first when her hands came over his stomach, fingers moving in small circular motions, her expression didn't change. Suddenly, though, she stopped. The woman looked up at Naruto sharply, surprise slightly widening her eyes. "There is…" she started to say, then shook her head. "There is another… source of chakra within you, Naruto. Like a baby in your belly. I get a lot of pregnant women in here, so I know what a baby's chakra feels like but… you don't think it could be the…?"

There was no need for her to say it. Naruto had frozen in shock at the words "baby in your belly," but what Tsunade was truly referring to was the fox demon.

The voice in Naruto's mind burst into a small spell of laughter. The laugh sounded like malice mixed with glee, and was in a deep, hoarse voice that gave Naruto chills. _You can tell that woman that it's not the fox demon's chakra in there…. She was right about a baby in your belly._

Naruto took a moment to let what had just been said sink in. That he was shocked beyond words was an understatement; he was torn between demanding the voice's true identity and the thought of being pregnant. _W-Who… are you the-?_

_Yes,_ the voice answered before the question was out. _I am the Kyuubi._

_…Ah._ Things were suddenly starting to make some sense. _And I am…?_

_Pregnant. Yes._

Naruto wanted to cry. _Is that why my chakra level is so weak?_

_Yes,_ Kyuubi answered. _But don't worry about that, kid, I've got enough chakra to spare, if needed._

Taking in a deep, shuddering breath, Naruto snapped back to reality; to Tsunade who was still standing over him with a worried little frown. "I-It's not…"

Tsunade sighed before he could spit the words out. "You're pregnant…?" It almost wasn't a question.

"…Yes."

Tsunade sighed again, a look of what appeared to be sympathy on her face. "…oh Naruto…"

* * *

When Naruto got 'home' - well, when 'Ayako' got home - he headed straight for his bedroom. Sakura appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Ayako!" she exclaimed. "Good to have you back." She smiled sweetly, continuing to wipe the pan she was holding with a dirty rag. "Did Tsunade make any breakthroughs today?" _'Ayako'_ walked right past her.

Once in 'her' bedroom, 'Ayako' collapsed on the bed in tears. Pregnant. _'She' _was pregnant. So, obviously, he could not be considered a man anymore.

There came a knock on the door. Naruto ignored it. He heard it open a crack. "Ayako?" Sakura came in and crossed the room over to him. "What's wrong, honey?" the pink haired girl asked sweetly, concerned.

"Tsu-Tsunade…" he was sobbing too hard to continue for a moment. "She _did_ make a breakthrough today," he admitted weakly. He hated his girly voice. Looked like he'd have to get used to it now.

"Well, tell me about it. What happened? What's wrong?"

Naruto didn't want to tell her; he wasn't going to. At first, he was going to make up another lie. He was going to smile and suddenly say that everything was alright. But that is not what happened. The words poured out of his mouth before he had time to stop them. "I-I'm _pregnant_," 'she' sobbed.

Sakura sat in stunned disbelief for a moment, not saying a word or even seeming to breathe. "How is that even possible?" she finally asked quietly.

"Apparently I-" he sniffed and wiped his eyes, only to have fresh tears replace the ones wiped away. "Apparently I'm two months along or so. I-I think I got…_ pregnant_… around the time I first met you." He began sobbing again, even harder this time.

Sakura wrapped comforting arms around him. "Well… do you know who the father is? Do you have any idea at all?"

Naruto's whole body suddenly tensed. Why hadn't he thought of that before? _Sasuke_…. His eyes widened, and he began to cry that much harder.

* * *

Naruto ("Ayako") went for a walk around the town the next day. He had done his share of crying, with plenty of comforting embarces from Sakura and other friends that came to visit, and plenty of smeared make-up and naps and bed-hair…. He had woken up late in the day (seeing as he had been too upset to sleep the night before) feeling grimy all over, and his eyes were sandy from where he had cried himself to sleep. He had taken a shower, and then ultimately decided that a walk would do him good.

_Ramen_, he thought. Suddenly, he didn't care if it was a "Naruto-thing" - he was sad and he wanted ramen dammit.

That was… until he saw Sasuke sitting at Naruto's favorite booth.

_Shit!_ he cursed silently. This was turning out to be a fine day. But wait… what was Sasuke doing in a ramen shop? Didn't he hate ramen? …well, he had eaten a whole bowel of it in front of Naruto that one time.

_Oh god,_ Naruto suddenly thought, his eyes widening. _What if… what if he remembers having sex with me? What am I supposed to say to him? How can I possibly…_ Naruto stopped there. _What the fuck am I _thinking_? I can't tell Sasuke I'm pregnant!! He shouldn't even recognize me in this form! Hopefully he won't._

_Shut up,_ Kyuubi growled then, and Naruto jumped from being abruptly shaken from his thoughts. _Stop being so foolish. He has a right to know about his kit._

Naruto winced. _Um… couldn't you just say "baby?"_

Kyuubi gave an aggravated sigh. _Alright then, if it will make you happy. The boy has a right to know about his… "baby." _He sighed again, and made like he was rolling his eyes. _Humans,_ he growled, annoyed.

Aside from the fact that Naruto was still a bit shaken at the fox demon talking to him directly, he found that maybe… just maybe… Kyuubi was right. If Sasuke was going to be a daddy, he had a right to know about it.

That was when Sasuke came out of the ramen shop. Naruto realized that he (himself) was shaking all over.

He followed Sasuke to the bridge, and stood behind the Uchiha for a while, studying him quietly.

Sasuke appeared to be watching the sky, which was growing darker by the minute, and he hadn't seemed to have noticed Naruto standing just behind him. Naruto took the chance to admire Sasuke- because of course, as a girl, he could do so and get away with it.

Sasuke looked… tired. It was hard to tell from behind but, somehow, Naruto just knew. Something was wrong with Sasuke. His muscles looked tense, and usually he would have noticed if someone was standing near him the way Naruto was. Naruto found himself wanting to rub Sasuke's shoulders, to make him relax and….

_Stop it Naruto!_ he told himself.

_Oh will you just talk to him already? _the Kyuubi demanded.

_You shut up too!_

Naruto gave a quiet sigh. Perhaps… perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe… maybe Sasuke would understand. Maybe everything would turn out okay between the two of them and….

_And what?_ he asked himself seriously. He was glad when the fox didn't try to interrupt again. _I can't ask Sasuke to stay with me. He's really… he's not… He just doesn't like me that much. I'm just a thing to him._

_If you're just a "thing,"_ the Kyuubi said quietly, _then why did he sleep with you? Why did he let you take care of him that night he was sick? And after he left that day, why did he come back? He… loves… you more than you think, kid. I know this boy - through you. He shows affection in his own way, and he's pushing it as it is. So give him a little credit, okay?_

Naruto gave a little smile. Kyuubi had never talked to him like this before. Oh sure, the fox was still a little awkward with human words such as "love" and "friendship," but Naruto had a feeling that Kyuubi understood better than he did himself. _Thanks... you sly old fox,_ Naruto said playfully. Kyuubi growled at him a little.

Naruto took one last deep breath. "Um… Sasuke?"


	5. Telling the Father

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I own nothing._

_**A/N: **__Sorry, I know, another short chapter. I apologize. My life has become... dramatic lately. Ugh. I hardly have time to type anymore -or the inspiration to. But please, be patient, and I promise it'll be worth it._

* * *

"Um…Sasuke?"

Sasuke Uchiha turned his icy dark eyes on a petit little blonde girl who had been standing behind him; no doubt another fan girl, hoping to get a scrap more of attention from him than the others did. Sasuke wondered how long she had been standing there, and why hadn't he noticed her presence? He raised an eyebrow and relaxed against the bridge wall. "Yes?" he asked coolly.

She was shaking, he noticed; trembling visibly. Nerves? Internally, he sighed. It looked like it was just going to be another one of those days. "Sasuke, I- I… ah…." It was bad enough that she wasn't speaking loud enough for him to really hear what she was saying, but her voice came out as a girlish squeak. Sasuke felt the corner of one of his eyes twitch.

Before the girl found the words to say, or the strength to say them, he walked up and patted her on the shoulder, staring into her deep blue eyes.

They were very familiar eyes. He wondered idly why he hadn't run into Naruto yet, especially since he had spent some time in the ramen shop of all places.

"Sorry," he apologized to the girl. "I don't make commitments with mindless obsessive girls- especially ones I've never met before." With that, he turned her a cold shoulder and walked away.

Poor girl. She must be "heartbroken" already.

Suddenly Sasuke felt something very hard smack against the back of his head, and he stumbled forward a bit. After catching his balance - _I only stumbled because it caught me off guard, dammit _- and rubbing his head a little - that had _actually_ hurt! - he spun around to see that same, innocent-looking girl standing there glaring at him. The most Sasuke could do was stare back at her with his mouth hanging open. She had thrown one of her shoes at him!

Sasuke had never seen a fan girl actually get _angry_ with him before. Oh sure, he had turned down plenty of them, but that always only made them even more determined. Never before had any one of them gotten _mad_ about it. Well, there was supposedly a first time for everything, and he guessed that this was no exception. "You- You threw a shoe at me!" he accused, knowing he sounded childish even before the words had all left his lips. That only irked him even more, making him growl under his breath and glare back at her. She met him stare for stare.

The girl crossed her arms under her breasts and frowned at him. "Hmph. Well it's less than half of what you deserve! At least let me say something before you immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm just another stupid girl asking you out- conceited!"

Her words stung like ice. She _wasn't_ asking him out? She _wasn't_ a fan girl? She had called him conceited! What the hell? "So…" he started when he found his voice again. "What the hell do you want then?"

The girl allowed him a tight smile. "What, Sasuke? Don't recognize me?" The girl walked up to him slowly, and then began to dance around him in playful little circles, smiling and giggling slightly. Sasuke just didn't get it. Women were so confusing.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before in my life," he growled. This girl was more than annoying.

Finally she stopped the twirling and giggling and planted herself firmly in front of him with her hands on her hips, rounding on him like rabbit cornered by a wolf. "_Still_ don't remember me, do you?" she demanded. He wondered if she was going to stamp her feet and have a temper tantrum.

Well what was Sasuke to say? He had never seen this girl before in his life! What could she _possibly_ want from him? Finally he gave a sigh and rubbed a hand across his forehead. His headache was starting to come back, probably thanks to her shoe. "Can we hurry this up a bit please?" he asked in a pained voice, wincing slightly.

Suddenly the girl was all concern. "What's the matter? Are you hurt? Sasuke, what happened?"

"_You threw your shoe at me_," he pointed out to her through gritted teeth, putting emphasis on each word so that maybe she'd understand that he just wanted her to go away. He really wished she would just leave him alone. She defiantly wasn't helping the headache situation. "Either tell me who you are and what you want or just go away. I have no time for this now."

"'No time?'" she quoted. "You were walking around like you had all the time in the world! And just _standing _there at the bridge..."

Sick of her behavior, Sasuke turned his back on the girl and began to walk away again.

"I told you I'd never bother you again…" she called after him. Sasuke froze in his tracks, not quite sure of what she was talking about. "That day before the party? I told you I'd leave you alone but…." Sasuke's body tensed, and he turned back around to see that the girl actually looked sad now. Why was she suddenly upset? This made absolutely no sense at all. The girl was shaking again, and her voice cracked when next she spoke. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but it looks like I… I can't walk out of your life just yet."

* * *

Sasuke somehow found himself in Sakura's - Sakura's! - apartment. What the hell was he doing here? And could this girl really be Naruto? She had suggested it, but hadn't explained anything at all to him after she had started crying; after a while she had simply said for him to follow her and she would explain everything. Now here he was in Sakura's apartment, waiting on the girl while she fixed some tea in the kitchen.

"So… why are we… _here_?" he called to her.

She smiled a nervous little smile as she walked back into the room, two cups of tea in hand. "Sakura found me on the street one day and asked me if I would like to stay with her." She paused for a moment. "Well, that's... sort of what happened anyway." There was no way this girl could be Naruto. Sasuke would admit a resemblance between the two, what with the girl's golden hair and big blue eyes, but there was just no way…. This girl didn't act like Naruto at all.

"So…" Sasuke started again. "Why are we here?" It was the same question, but it was asking for something more this time.

The girl sat with her own cup of tea - Sasuke sipped at his - and she took in a very deep breath, letting it back out as slowly as she had let it in. "Sasuke I..."

Suddenly, of all moments, Sakura came bursting through the front door. "You will not believe…!" she ranted. "Ayako! You will not _believe_ what that- that Ino _pig_ did in town today!" The pink haired delight stormed into the kitchen without so much as glancing Sasuke's way, and some of her shouts were a little drowned out by the sounds of her angry pounding against walls, tables, and counters, or slamming cabinet doors open and shut while she talked. "You know how, like, every guy in town wants you right? Yeah. Well, today, when we were in town, we happened to see a few baby things in the window of, y'know, just some random store-" Obviously by that Sakura really meant that they had purposely gone to a specific store to see said baby things. "-and we went in thinking, you know, how one day it might be kind of nice to have a little baby around 'cause, well, you know. So anyway, I told her about you- you did say it was okay, right? Well, anyway, I told her and she… well, she pretty much had the same reaction that I did, but still it'll be nice to have a little baby around here someday…."

Sasuke sighed, wondering if she would ever shut up. It was hard to get what women were really saying when they went on and on rambling like this.

Sakura continued blathering on, though….

"So, we're in there, looking at cute little baby clothes, and _Shikamaru_ sees us in there. So he starts going off on Ino right there in the middle of the _street_ because he thinks _she_ is pregnant. So then Ino gets all mad and of course they get into a fight right there outside the store - _in the middle of Konoha _and she freaking announces it to the _entire_ village that you're pregnant. And you know how fast word travels in this town; _everybody_ must know about it by now. But honestly, I never meant for it to happen!" Sakura -finally- came bursting back into the living room. "Oooh, I'm so mad!"

That's when she saw Sasuke and the girl sitting there on the couch, both staring at her. Sakura's eyes got really wide, and her face turned from ghostly pale to a shade almost as pink as her hair. "O-oh. Ayako, you uh… you have company. I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, you'll have to forgive me for… for that little outburst." She bowed quickly, but her eyes were still wild when she stood straight again, her face still red from embarrassment. She shot the girl -Ayako?- looks that clearly said she _would_ explain later.

Sasuke nodded, acknowledging her bow, but didn't say anything. Finally he turned to this 'Ayako' girl. "So…." He lifted a questioning eyebrow. "_Who_ are you again?"

From behind him, Sakura laughed lightly. "You didn't even tell him who you are? What did you do, pull him in off the streets?"

Sasuke nodded again. "Literally." Sakura laughed a little more, but her eyes burned even more fiercely with curiosity now.

"Um… Sakura?" Ayako asked shyly. "Could you- could you please give me and Sasuke-_kun_ a little privacy?"

Sakura shot Ayako a... different kind of look this time, before nodding slowly. "Sure, Ayako. I'll just be in the kitchen then, I guess."

Once the fiery pink haired girl was gone, Sasuke turned to Ayako again. "Please, let's get this over with. I don't know who you are… _Ayako_… or what you want but… just tell me what you meant by what you said earlier."

Ayako took another deep breath and stared down at the carpet. Why wouldn't she look him in the eye? "Uh… Sasuke. Don't you- don't you recognize me at all? Even a little?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "Are you really trying to tell me that _you_ are Naruto?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You act nothing like Naruto."

"Of course I don't!" Ayako shouted defiantly, now staring him square in the eye. "I've been a woman ever since the night of _your_ stupid party!"

"_My_ party? Don't say it like it was all _my _idea! If you really _are_ Naruto, you know very well that the whole set up was all your fault! You practically forced me into it!"

"Did you not hear what I just said?!" she cried loudly - and it was a cry, or just short of it at least. Why did she look as if she were on the verge of tears suddenly? "I have been a _woman_ ever since the night of the party!"

That made Sasuke stop to think a moment. Finally, he demanded incredulously, "_Why?_"

Ayako -or Naruto- sighed. "Because. I couldn't _get_ _out_ of my jutsu. My chakra level was -_is_ low."

He hesitated a moment. Again he asked, "_Why_?"

Another sigh, this one a little more heated; frustrated. "Because _Sasuke_… because I…." She -or he- swallowed hard. "Because I… I think- no, I _know_ that… you and I got very drunk at the party and- and we slept together that night." Sasuke blinked in surprise at that. Well, he certainly hadn't exapected that, although he probably should have seen something like it coming. "And…" she -or he- continued, putting a hand on her -_his_- stomach. "…there is now a little baby inside of me, draining me of my chakra."

All was silent in the whole house. Not even Sakura, who was still in the kitchen and probably eavesdropping, made a sound. Sasuke sat there staring at- at this _Ayako_ girl for a moment… then he stood up, and walked silently out of the apartment.

He shut the door easily behind him, trying not to think of how the girl's eyes had filled with tears when he stood. Once the handle clicked, he heard Ayako start crying inside.

With a sigh, Sasuke walked away.


	6. To Convince An Uchiha

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto_

* * *

Sasuke was a logical person. He always thought things through… hence the reason why he was always so quiet. But even the Great Uchiha Avenger Boy slipped up from time to time, and there had been a time or two where he had not been very rational with his actions, and walking out of the apartment that day had actually _not_ been one of those times. Getting drunk at the party, on the other hand, had been.

If not for getting totally wasted at his birthday party, he - probably - wouldn't be having all of these damn headaches all the time. Also, if he hadn't have gotten wasted, he would remember _exactly_ what had happened that night, and therefore he would be able to inform little miss _Ayako_ that he had, in fact, _not_ slept with her _or_ Naruto. The sad fact was though, he _had_ gotten wasted and he _couldn't_ remember exactly what had happened that night. For all he knew, he could have slept with everyone there.

The very thought sent shivers up his spine. It was a _very_ scary notion.

Rubbing his forehead, Sasuke headed straight for Naruto's apartment. He would find Naruto, tell him what was going on, and together they would be able to sort this whole thing out. The plan seemed simple enough. That petit, pathetic little girl could no way on earth be Naruto Uzumaki of course, so surely it would be no problem to find the Kyuubi boy.

The only problem was, when Sasuke reached Naruto's apartment, the place was deserted. In fact, it looked as though there hadn't been anyone there in quite a while. Dust was collecting on counter tops and the furniture. Not a single one of the ramen cups in the counter had been opened, and even they were a little dusty.

Sasuke found that absolutely ludicrous. Naruto _not _eating ramen? It was a thought that was hard to process.

_Where is he?_ he wondered. _There's no way that girl could have _possibly_ been telling the truth. _He actually laughed aloud at that - the whole notion was just totally insane! _There's just no way._

With a small sigh, he plopped down on the couch - (instantly dust rose up around him, making him cough and then grimace). Perhaps he should just wait an hour or two for Naruto's return. Of course the blonde boy would be back soon. There was no way Ayako could have possibly been telling the truth.

* * *

"…Ayako?" The way Sakura said it made the name itself sound like a question.

"You heard didn't you?" Naruto said in between sobs. "The whole thing?" Sakura crossed the room and sat next to him, placing her arms around his shoulders. Naruto sank against her and just let the tears come. He felt so completely drained. Had he ever seen such a cold, disbelieving look in Sasuke's eyes before? If he had, it had been a long time. A very long time. It stung deeply. "He just… walked out," Naruto sobbed, unable to do much more than cry at this point. "Like it didn't matter at all. He just walked out." He cried even harder.

Sakura rubbed his back comfortingly. After a while she asked, "Is it true?"

"Huh?" Naruto sat up, rubbing his watery eyes. He still absolutely _hated _being a woman - well, having his emotions run amuck like a woman's anyway.

Sakura looked at him for a long moment, staring into his eyes, probing, searching for some kind of answer. "Are you _really_ Naruto?" she asked quietly.

Avoiding her gaze, he nodded. "Yeah." What followed was a short, painful sort of silence. "Are you mad?" he asked, to fill that silence.

To his surprise, she actually laughed. "Of course not, silly. Why didn't you just tell the truth in the first place?" She laughed a little more and wiped a tear from his cheek. "Now I guess I understand those little meetings with Tsunade every week."

"What?" Naruto asked in surprise.

Sakura laughed again. "Don't you think the amnesia story was a little… far-fetched? Of course I didn't believe you! None of us did, actually. It was obvious you were lying, but I figured you had a good reason to fake amnesia… and it turns out I was right."

Naruto was quiet for a moment. Finally he asked quietly, "Sakura…?"

"Hm?"

"Could you… could you go talk to Sasuke for me?"

She smiled warmly. "Of course, Aya- Naruto.... Now? Alright. Everything will be just fine. I promise." She touched Naruto on the arm before heading out the door.

* * *

Sasuke had not been sitting there even 20 minutes when he heard the door to the apartment open. So Naruto was back after all. He smiled. Now they could get this whole mess straightened out.

When he stood, though, he found not Naruto standing there, but Sakura instead. "Sasuke-kun," she acknowledged him darkly.

Uh-oh.

"Sakura… what are you doing here?"

She crossed the room slowly, and silently. A cat stalking it's prey. "I figured this is where you would go." She glanced around the apartment and scrunched her nose in disapproval. "We'll have to clean this place up a bit later," she mumbled. Then she turned her attention back on Sasuke.

"Uh… Sakura?"

Sakura stepped up and slapped him sharply across the face. Even Sasuke heard the distinct _pop!_ it made. He had been hit much harder than that before, of course, but by god that girl had a hand on her! "Ah…" he sighed, rubbing his cheek and wincing slightly.

"How could you just walk out on him like that?!" she flared. "Naruto loves you, you _idiot_!" She went to smack him again but he caught a hold of her wrist just in time. She wasn't unhinged in the slightest. Instead, she contented herself with simply glaring up at him. "How could you do that to Naruto?" she demanded.

"How can you expect me to believe that's really him?"

"You are a _jackass_ Sasuke Uchiha!"

As if that was a signal of some sort, the room fell quiet again. They both simply stared at each other, neither of them blinking. Eventually he released his hold on her. Sakura rubbed her wrist as if it hurt, but kept her intent gaze on him. "How?" she demanded in a heated whisper. "How could you just walk out on him?"

Sasuke snorted and looked away. _It's just not possible._ There was just no way. There was no way that girl was Naruto, and there was no way that Naruto could be pregnant. "Naruto cannot get pregnant," he finally muttered.

"And have you forgotten about him strutting around downstairs in your mansion during the party, up on the bar in his _sexy jutsu_ form?"

She fell quiet. She actually expected an answer? "_That_ I remember," he mumbled.

"I saw you two leave the room together, Sasuke. And TenTen saw you two kissing, believe it or not. _Kissing_ in the hallway, ripping each other's clothes off like you were ready to go at it right then and there. And Naruto was still in his little sexy jutsu form."

Sasuke's face burned red. "_That_ I _don't_ remember."

"Of course you don't," she mocked. "Because if you were in a state that allowed remembering, you wouldn't have been kissing him at all, isn't that right?" He still wouldn't look at her, and he wouldn't answer her either. He would not give her that satisfaction.

Finally Sakura took his face in her hands and jerked his head around. "Naruto loves you," she told him firmly, staring him right in the eye. "And I know you love him too, no matter how much of a _stupid, stubborn, blind, idiot_ you are. So... you are going to stay with him through this pregnancy, he is going to have _your_ baby, and you two will be very happy together."

He jerked out of her reach and said the first thing that came to mind. "What? Suddenly you want me to be _gay_?"

"Stop being so self righteous, Sasuke. Your pride is just going to have to suffer. And think of it this way, at least everybody _else_ will see Naruto as a _woman_." She smiled sweetly.

* * *

Sasuke growled under his breath. Slapped twice in one day. The first thing Naruto -_Ayako_- did when seeing him again was hit him. Right across the face, and twice as hard as Sakura had. He growled again.

"Oh, look happy Sasuke-kun," Sakura laughed at him.

For some strange reason, they were walking through town. And for some other and even stranger reason, one of Sasuke's arms were locked with one of Naruto's -Ayako's. The girl - _the girl! _- standing next to him looked up and smiled shyly. Sasuke could still hardly believe that_ this_ was truly Naruto. He wanted to believe that they had kidnapped the real Naruto and had killed him, and that this girl had gotten pregnant on purpose in order to get close to Sasuke.

The women were conspiring against him. Sasuke was going to prove it one of these days. It was those damn fan girls trying to manipulate him and get into his pants.

He glanced down at _Ayako's_ belly, which wasn't showing in the slightest. _She's supposed to be pregnant?_ he wondered. _Whore._

Ayako looked sad at his glare, and she turned her head away to look disappointedly down at the ground. Sasuke had to admit to himself, she _was_ quite cute, even if she was evil. _All women are evil,_ he thought, glaring at Sakura's back. _They have to be._

"Now tell me, what are we doing again?" he asked, sounding bored. He was getting sick of the shocked stares he was receiving from the other villagers. Hadn't Sakura said something about the whole town knowing about _Ayako_ being pregnant? His eyes widened. _Oh fuck! They're all gonna think I'm the father!_ A tiny, little, traitorous part of him wondered if he really _was_ the father... and the rest of him screamed defiantly back at that one little part.

"We're going to Tsunade's," Sakura answered him then, walking backwards in order to face him and Ayako. Of course, it wasn't as if the girl was going to run into somebody by not watching where she was going; Sakura used to be a ninja, after all. "We're going to _prove_ to you that Ayako really is Naruto, _and_ that he-she is pregnant."

"Don't say it so loud Sakura!" Ayako hissed. Sasuke glared at her, that little part of him wondering.... He wanted to smack himself.

Sakura made a guilty face. "Oops," she said with a shrug of her shoulders and a little giggle. "Sorry!" Turning back around she said, "I just think it's so cute!" And she just had to say it in the most infuriating sounding voice possible!

Sakura giggled and they went on walking, Sasuke trying to look as bored and as annoyed as possible, and Ayako looking as if she wanted to suddenly turn invisible. Sasuke glanced at her from the corners of his eyes again. How could he possibly think of this little girl as Naruto? No, he absolutely _refused _to even consider doing so.

Before he knew it, they had reached their destination and Sakura was knocking on the door. Tsunade raised a questioning eyebrow when seeing the three of them standing there on her doorstep. "So… she told you?" she said carefully. Then she sighed. "Come in. All of you."

Once inside, they were each made a cup of tea, and they sat to discuss _the situation._ "So…." Tsunade started. "You know of… _Ayako's_ little problem, I assume?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. And we know who _Ayako_ really is, too. It's just that some of us are a bit… unconvinced." She glared accusingly at Sasuke, and Sasuke felt his eyes turn into angry little black slits.

Tsunade turned to Sasuke. "I assure you it's the truth." She rubbed her forehead. "Though, I almost wish it wasn't."

"I cannot believe that this is really Naruto," Sasuke argued, gesturing rudely to Ayako. At this point, he didn't really care if the girl was offended or not. They had offended _him_ by claiming that her baby was _his_. It just wasn't possible.

Tsunade folded her hands in her lap, glaring coldly at him. "Alright," she said in an icy voice. "Would you like me to prove it to you?"

"You can try."

Tsunade smirked at him.

* * *

It took a full 24 hours for the test results to come in, and somehow the next day Sasuke found himself back at Tsunade's with Ayako and Sakura. Tsunade was sitting there in a chair with a big orange envelope in her hands. "Sasuke Uchiha…" she carefully pulled a piece of paper out of the envelope. "…you _are_ the father."

_**(A/N: omg Dr. Phil! Haha… Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.)**_

Sasuke sank into his chair, sighing and running fingers through his messy hair. Sakura frowned at him with a look that clearly stated 'I'm buying you a comb for your next birthday.' Ignoring her, he glanced over at Ayako.

"That doesn't prove to me that you're really Naruto," he informed her curtly.

For a moment, the girl looked as though she were going to stay silent, but then suddenly she got angry. She glared defiantly at Sasuke. "Then how would I know about you getting sick the night before the party? And about your argument with me -Naruto?"

He paused uneasily for a moment, then waved it off as nothing. "Naruto could have told anyone about that."

"Oh really?" Ayako asked, standing up from her chair and placing her hands on her hips. "And how about what happened in the ramen shop? And about you needing a shower that first day you got back? Remember, Naruto took you back to his apartment, and had to push you into his shower? Then when he went to get your clothes, he got drunk. _I_ got drunk. That was _me_!"

Sasuke hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't believe you."

Tsunade reached over and gave Sasuke a good thump on the head. "Will you give it up already?" the woman demanded. "It's obvious you don't even believe yourself."

Sasuke growled, rubbing the place on his head she had hit. "Alright already," he grumbled. "So let's say I'm willing to accept - for the moment - that this _Ayako_ person really is Naruto…. So what next? Where do we go from here?"

"Well," said Sakura thoughtfully, "usually marriage."

Sasuke choked on that. "_Marriage_?!" he demanded. _Marriage?!_ He stared at her in shocked silence for a moment. "You really mean it don't you? _Marriage!_" He then glared at Ayako. "No fucking way."

"Sasuke…." Sakura started carefully, taking time to bite off each word individually. "You would almost _have_ to get married. What would the village elders think? They know about your little group of fan girls -well, not so little, actually. If they found out that Sasuke Uchiha has gotten a girl pregnant, and doesn't want to get married to her, they would just take you for a player. And how would you like that?"

"And if that doesn't convince you," Tsunade added on to Sakura's statement, "just think about how your fan club will react."

"Oh yes," the pink haired girl agreed eagerly, grinning as if it were a good joke. "Can't you just _imagine_ it Sasuke?"

"Alright!" he complained. "I get it okay! I get it." He took a quick breath and sighed. "Marriage. Okay. Just… give me a little time to consider it okay? This wasn't exactly written in my agenda." _They just want to marry me off to her,_ he thought, glancing over at Ayako who had stayed silent during the entire spiel. _Women are all evil._ He glared at the three of them. _Well, you won't lure me into your little trap so easily._


	7. Crying in the Rain

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto_

**_A/N:_** _Yeah I know, another shorty chapter, and more of Sasuke being a complete ass. But things will turn out for the better, I promise. So I really hope you don't lose interest in the story because of my stupid not updating quickly enough and always writing such short chapters. I am sorry._

* * *

By the time the trio finally left Tsunade's, the sky was growing dark. Low clouds indicated that rain was more than a possibility. Sasuke sighed as he stepped outside with the others. "Well," Sakura started, "this has turned out to be an interesting day. I'm worn out. I think I'll go home take a shower and go to bed. See you later Ayako-chan." She probably didn't think that Sasuke saw the little wink she gave Naruto before walking away.

Naruto -or Ayako, one- glanced down at the ground, then back up at Sasuke. "Sasuke," she started slowly. He wanted to sigh again. This girl really acted _nothing_ like Naruto. "Can we… hang out sometime? We can… talk about everything." She blushed then -actually _blushed!_ And they expected to convince Sasuke with _this_?

"Sure," he answered, not at all enthusiastically.

She sighed then, and her eyes looked sad. "I know you still don't believe who I really am. I wish I could prove it to you Sasuke. I really-"

"There's no need for that," he interrupted. "If you really are Naruto, then you know where I live. Just stop by tomorrow, if you want. Maybe then we'll… '_hang out_'." The words were uttered from between gritted teeth. Ayako wouldn't know where he lived, but Sakura would, and she would tell her. The only reason why Sasuke had made the suggestion in the first place was because he was sure that if he spent enough time with this girl, she would eventually slip up and he would be right there to point it out and to deny himself the father of her child.

_Tsunade was lying_, he told himself. _I can't be the father of _anybody's_ baby._

"You think Sakura will show me where you live," Ayako said with an all-too-knowing look. "That's just like you, Sasuke…. Well, I'll prove to you who I am. I'll lead you right up to your own house, right now, and_ without _anyone's help." With that, she began to lead the way.

To Sasuke's surprise, she knew exactly where he lived, and even knew where not to step in the front yard to avoid traps he had left out for any intruders. Once at the door, she turned and smiled confidently at him. He glanced warily at her and mumbled, "Anyone in town could have shown you how to do that." The expression on her face immediately sunk.

And then, to his great displeasure, it began to rain. Just as he was going inside, the first few raindrops began to fall, and by the looks of things, it wasn't going to be letting up any time soon either. Sasuke sighed and held open the door for the girl. She just stood there for a moment, staring at him. "Well…?" he said finally. "Are you coming in, or not? You'll get sick if you stay out here in the rain." Damn. What the hell was he turning into? Sheltering a pathetic little fan girl who claimed to be carrying his child. It was absolutely insufferable.

"I've been out in the rain before, Sasuke," she informed him curtly. "You know that. Besides, I wouldn't want to be a _bother_ to you."

"Just shut up and get in. When someone does you a favor, you don't complain, you just accept it." The girl looked startled, but she scurried inside anyway. Surely she didn't want her _hair_ getting wet. Sasuke turned away from her in disgust.

"Well, thank you, Sasuke." She gave him a slight smile.

He glanced coldly at her, refusing to smile back.

Sasuke walked past her, into the kitchen to make them something to drink. She followed him after a moment, and stood in the doorway watching him. She didn't say a word, which was a little surprising. She simply stood there, never once taking her eyes from him.

Sasuke did his best to ignore her as he fixed the tea. Finally, though, it became more than he could take. He hated those curious blue eyes watching him like that. "So are you just going to stand there looking at me all night?" he demanded harshly.

She blinked in surprise. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was staring." Her eyes dropped to the floor, a little sadly, and for an instant -_just_ an instant- he regretted being so cruel to her. Shaking his head, he turned away from her. He had no reason to be sorry. He would not apologize.

"Sasuke?"

He turned back to look at her. "Yeah, what is it?" She was probably going to ask him something stupid, like how he thought their wedding was going to be or what he thought the baby would look like.

Much to his surprise, she asked instead, "Have you been taking care of yourself Sasuke? You were complaining about headaches at Tsunade's earlier…." Sasuke's head throbbed at the mention of headaches. The medicine he had didn't help with these kinds of headaches. Thank goodness she didn't notice him wince. "You haven't gotten sick anymore lately have you?"

Sasuke was disgusted by the fact that her voice was filled with such compassion, as if she actually _meant_ the things she said! _Quite the little actress, aren't you? _he wondered. His head throbbed again, and he had to force himself not to go sit down. "What does it matter to _you_?" he half snarled. He didn't mean to be so rude that time, but his head hurt and he wanted to lie down. Of course, he could never sleep with this girl around. God only knows what she'd do to him.

The girl's eyes tightened a little. "I'm just trying to be nice, you know," she said quietly, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. "You and your damn Uchiha pride."

"Shut up," he growled. "What do you think you know of Uchiha pride?"

Slowly, she crossed the room to stand before him, looking up into his face defiantly. Suddenly, though, she gave him a little push on the chest, and he fell back, plopping his bottom down into a chair behind him. "Hey!" he snapped. "What are you trying to do to..." She placed her hands on each side of his temple, silencing him.

"It's obvious that you have a headache, and it's obviously bothering you. So just sit still."

Ayako walked behind him, placing her hands on his head again. Each time she pressed her hands against his head, he expected for it to hurt, but little by little his headache began to fade away. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, and rub his head until finally her hands began to slowly move down to his neck and shoulders, loosening muscles he hadn't known were so tight. Sasuke's eyelids began to droop, and the harder he tried to keep himself awake, the sleepier he became.

Finally the girl spoke. "The tea is ready," she announced quietly. He noted that her voice didn't seem so loud and obnoxiously squeaky as most girls' voices were.

Sasuke stood - with a regretful sort of sigh - and poured her and himself a cup of the tea, sitting himself back down at the table. Ayako had also taken a seat, and was now sitting across from him. Gently, the girl picked up her cup and blew across the surface of the hot liquid, steam rolling off in little white curls. A little dazed, Sasuke wondered if maybe she really was Naruto. Her eyes were the same shape, and the same deep blue as Naruto's were, and he was sure that her hair was the same exact color.... But there was no way Naruto would ever wear so much make up around his eyes.

"Thanks for the tea," Ayako said after taking a sip. She seemed to only be saying it for lack of anything else to say. "And for letting me stay in out of the rain."

"You wear too much makeup." She looked surprised at his sudden observation. "You would look better without it."

She smiled slightly. "I know. And to tell you the truth, I kind of hate it. Sakura and Ino, and even Hinata -Hinata!- make me wear it. They like to dress me up... like a doll. I really hated them for it at first, but I had to pretend I was a… _natural_ girl, so it's not like I could complain." She laughed suddenly. "Tsunade made _so_ much fun of me at first. Sometimes she still does."

Sasuke smiled too. He could imagine that.

But of course, Naruto would never allow such a thing. Naruto would not….

Sasuke wanted to get angry again. He wanted to yell at this girl, and make her leave, not caring if she had to walk home pregnant in the rain. But he was just too damn _tired _at the moment to get angry. At least his headache was gone though; that was something. "So," he started sarcastically, "what are you planning on doing about this whole…_ situation_?"

Ayako's eyes grew sad again. "I really don't know," she replied. "Maybe we just shouldn't talk about it for a while."

He growled slightly. "You did this just to get closer to me." His voice did not snap as it had earlier. "You women plotting against me," he grumbled.

Ayako sighed, muttering under her breath about him being stubborn. "Listen, Sasuke… if I could go back in time and take back what happened that night at the party, I would. But I can hardly do that, now can I?"

He scoffed. "Lies."

"I'm not lying!" She stood, her chair clattering to the floor behind her in her haste. Sasuke jumped at the sudden, loud sound of it. She scurried over to the sink and splashed water all over her face and in her hair, using a towel to dry herself. Afterward, she threw the towel down and turned back to him.

Sasuke's chair was turned slightly away from the table, which allowed her to sit at his feet and place her hands on his lap. Her face was mere inches from his, and he wanted to push her away, but found that he could not. Instead, he turned his eyes to the table, or the wall, or the floor… anything but to those blue eyes.

"Look at me Sasuke Uchiha!" the girl snapped. Reluctantly, he looked at her again. Traces of makeup still smeared in little places here and there, but otherwise her face was clean. Also, her hair was wet and dripping a little, one big mass of fuzz around her face. He had to admit though, they had picked the perfect candidate for a female Naruto impersonator.

She sighed, her eyes desperately trying to send him some message, pleading, trying to make him understand. Yeah, she was quite an actress. "Do you still not see it?" she half-demanded, half-begged. "I _am_ Naruto."

Sasuke shook his head. "You look like him… a little. But you just can't be. It's just a lie."

The girl sat perfectly still for a long moment, still staring up at him. She never blinked once, but when finally she stood, her eyes were filled with tears. Her movements were slow and hesitant, but once standing, she stared defiantly down at him. "You are an _idiot_ Sasuke Uchiha," she hissed fiercely. A lone tear trickled down her cheek.

With that, the girl turned away from him and exited the kitchen. He ran after her. "Where are you going?" he asked. Only that one little part of him did not want her to leave - at least she could get rid of his headaches.

Ayako was putting her shoes on at the door. "Even being out in the rain is better than being here with you." Her voice shook as she spoke, and her hands were trembling slightly. She turned her back on him and flung open the door. She stood there for a moment, looking out into the curtain of rain covering the earth. It was falling heavily, and the sound of it seemed to pound in Sasuke's ears.

Without even a glance over her shoulder at him, Ayako stepped out into the rain, slamming the door behind her. Sasuke sighed after she was gone. His headache was back.

* * *

Naruto -aka Ayako- stumbled through town. The village was virtually empty, because, of course, everyone was inside out of the rain. It was just as well - at least he wouldn't run into anybody now. No one would be asking him what was the matter. He was free to cry alone in the rain.

Through windows of homes as he passed them by, he could see families and friends sitting together, laughing and having a good time as they ate supper or just hung out. The light spilling outside from those windows was warm and welcoming, but that only made Naruto feel that much worse; that much more alone.

Finally he found himself a nice secluded little wall to lean against, and he sank to the ground in painful, heart wrenching tears.


	8. The Kyuubi Shows it's Fangs

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto_

_**A/N: **W00t! Two updates in one day! _

* * *

Sasuke was sick of this. He was sick of it all. Why couldn't everyone just understand that he wanted to be left alone?

He remembered what Narut had said to him that day, that day he walked out on him - the word's rang in Sasuke's head: _"You want to be alone all your life? You wanna stay in your big mansion where your evil psycho brother killed your family so long ago, and wallow in your self pity because you're the last of the clan?"_

_Yes Naruto,_ he thought. _That's exactly what I want._

Why couldn't everybody just stay out of his business and stop trying to ruin his life? And what was up with all of the fucking headaches? Sasuke sighed.

Shopping. He still had never gotten around to it. He _hated_ shopping… but he still needed food. He sighed again. _I hate my life._

"_Sasuke Uchiha!_"

Sasuke turned at the sound of his name being shouted from behind, only to be smacked sharply across the face. "Sakura!" he exclaimed. "You have _got_ to stop doing that!" He hadn't even gotten into town yet, much less all the way to the store. Why, oh god why, did this have to happen to him?

"I heard what you did to Na- …Ayako!" she shouted wagging an accusing finger in his face.

He pushed her hand away. "I didn't do anything!" Really, he _hadn't_ done anything. It wasn't his fault if the girl suddenly got all emotional and ran off crying.

"Well, for your information, Ayako is _sick_ now because of you."

He shrugged. "What do expect me to do about it? It's not _my_ fault."

"Liar!" she shrieked.

He growled. "What do I have to do to get you off my back?"

She pointed in the direction of the town, and put her other hand on her hip. "You are going to go to my apartment and tell her you're sorry!"

He scoffed. "Not a chance." With that, he turned and began to walk away from her. Sakura was silent, which was unusual for her. Ah well. The better for him.

Suddenly something hard tackled him from behind, and he fell face forward in the dirt. "Sakura!" he exclaimed again. What the fuck was she _doing_?!

Sakura smiled at him over his shoulder, pressing more weight against him. "Now you _literally_ have to get me off your back," she smirked.

"Not a problem," he grunted. Pushing up with his hands, he rolled over on top of her, then stood, brushing himself off as Sakura lay gasping on the ground.

"Asshole!" she screamed after him as he walked off.

* * *

So Sasuke did his shopping. Actually, he didn't get very much. He wanted to get in and out of that evil place as quickly as possible, **(A/N**: **that is correct, Sasuke has a phobia of grocery stores)** so he grabbed a few essentials and left. When he got home, he spilled all the contents of the plastic bags across the kitchen floor and began putting things away. Usually Sasuke was much neater than this, but today he just didn't give a damn. _To hell with being 'neat.'_

When at last all groceries were put away, he glared at the one thing left lying there on the floor. It was a single blue flower. He had carried it in separately seeing as he couldn't have stuffed it inside one of the bags with the groceries; the little flower would have been squished for sure.

Sasuke had only bought the thing on impulse. He did, after all, have feelings, and he did feel _a little_ guilty about what had happened. He supposed it kind of was his fault now that Ayako was sick, but she shouldn't have… she shouldn't have gotten pregnant and accused him of being the father!

Now that Sasuke thought about it, that did sound kind of foolish, didn't it?

He shook his head. _No way._

Quickly, before he had time to really think about what he was doing, he snatched up the flower and headed out the door. He wasn't just going to throw away something that he had paid money for, and _he_ certainly had no use for a _flower_. He would give the damn thing to the girl.

But that did not mean he was going to apologize. No way. He scoffed. _Yeah, that would be the day,_ he thought sarcastically.

* * *

Sasuke was glad that Sakura wasn't home. He would not shame himself by coming face-to-face with her in her own apartment after what had happened that morning. Ayako, he was a little sorry to see, was in very delicate condition. Her skin was pale, and her breathing was labored. Also, her coughing was weak. Her forehead was broke out in sweat, and there were dark rings under her eyes.

Sasuke didn't know much about babies, and he wanted absolutely _nothing_ to do with hers, but he hoped that her sickness did not affect the child in her belly. He would never admit it to anyone of course, but if something happened to that baby because of him - even if the child's mother _was_ an annoying little girl - he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Sasuke?" Ayako demanded before coughing. She seemed incredulous to see him there.

"You shouldn't speak," he told her. "You might hurt your voice… or… something." Apparently, he didn't know very much about being sick either.

"Why- Why did you come here?" she choked. She trailed off into a fit of coughs.

"Didn't you just hear me?" he asked, walking over to her side. "I _told_ you not to talk." He sighed. "I brought you something." He tossed the little flower onto her chest.

Ayako blinked in surprise, then lifted the flower up to her nose to smell. She smiled at the tiny blue petals, and her eyes were somehow hopeful when she looked back up at him. He wished she wouldn't look at him that way - it was a pathetic thing to see when she also looked so sick. And it made him pretty uncomfortable. It's not as if he'd apologized to the damn girl!

"Don't think much of it," he told her hastily. He didn't want her getting the wrong idea - in fact, that was the _last_ thing he wanted. "This doesn't mean anything."

She smiled again. "Thank you, Sasuke," she replied quietly. He winced when she began coughing again. It sounded painful.

When finally she settled back and had caught her breath again, she spoke. "Sakura went… to get Tsunade so… to make sure the… baby is okay." It seemed difficult for her to speak.

Sasuke felt a pang of guilt at her words, though. He hoped that the child was alright. It was still an innocent, not even born yet.

"I better go before they get back then," he told her coldly.

"No, wait." She grabbed his pants leg weakly as he began to walk away. She barely had a hold on him - her grip was so weak with the sickness - but it held him in place. "Please stay until they get back. I… don't want to be alone right now."

Sasuke sighed. Sometimes, he was just too damn nice.

When Tsunade and Sakura finally showed up, they were both equally surprised to see Sasuke there. Tsunade tried to hide it though, and Sakura smiled at him, and then again when seeing the little blue flower in Ayako's hands.

The pink haired girl touched his arm. "Thank you for coming Sasuke-kun." He looked away, crossing his arms. It's not like he had apologized to Ayako. And he wasn't planning on doing so, either.

"Naruto," Tsunade was saying, "can't you get the Kyuubi to lend you some strength, even if just a little?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Of course! _The Kyuubi…._ How had he managed to forget all about the fox demon in Naruto's body? If this girl Ayako really did have the Kyuubi within her, then that would prove….

_No way,_ Sasuke thought. _She can't bring out the Kyuubi! Only Naruto can do that!_

"The- the Kyuubi?" Ayako asked weakly. She looked a little confused. "But… what if he tries to take over? It's… hard… to keep him back." She was gasping for breath as she spoke, and then she began coughing again. Tsunade helped her sit up. The woman looked worried.

"This is not good," Tsunade muttered. Then to Ayako she said, "I know, Naruto. I understand, but you are going to have to try, okay? You want to protect your baby don't you?"

Ayako's eyes widened and slowly began to fill with tears as she stared Tsunade in the face. The girl placed her arms protectively around her stomach. "My… baby?" she asked. She seemed to be a bit... delusional, as if her mind weren't all there.

"Yes," Tsunade answered her. "If you want to keep your baby, then you're going to _need_ more strength. Will you ask the Kyuubi for that strength?"

Ayako nodded after a moment. "Yes," she said shakily, a few tears falling down her cheek. "Yes."

Then, something unusual happened. The girl kept her eyes closed for a very long time. No one said a word. The room was completely silent other than a few weak coughs from Ayako. Just when Sasuke was starting to think that nothing was going to happen, Ayako opened her eyes again, and they flashed red.

Startled, he jumped back, and wasn't surprised to see Sakura do the same. Even Tsunade backed off a little. Ayako with her red eyes flashed Sasuke a quick smile of sharply pointed teeth. With that, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she seemed to faint as she fell back against the cushions of the couch. Then, for a moment, - only a moment - little Ayako was replaced with an obviously _male _Naruto, and the blonde boy was surrounded by a red nimbus that flared like fire.

It only lasted an instant, but the change was very distinct, and before Sasuke could blink, it was Ayako sitting there again, her pale skin no longer so pale and her cheeks no longer as flushed. Also, she didn't look like she was sweating anymore, and her breathing seemed easier.

The most he could do the rest of the time he was there at the apartment was stare at the girl in shocked silence. He caught the same expression on Sakura's face a time or two, but also the pink haired girl smirked at him with a kind of _"I told you so"_ look. She knew that the Kyuubi's little performance had been like a slap to the face for Sasuke. It was going to be very difficult for him to deny something he had seen with his own eyes. And for the first time, Sasuke was actually considering the possibility that Ayako really _was_ Naruto, and that he -Naruto- was _pregnant, _with _his_ baby. It was all very mind blowing. Naruto... pregnant... and Sasuke, a father!

Later on that day, when Tsunade was finished with her examination and had left some medicine for Ayako, Sakura offered to walk with the woman back to her place, giving Sasuke a sort of… warning look as she walked out the door.

Ayako - or Naruto, whoever it was - laughed lightly at Sasuke once the two of them were alone again. "Weren't expecting that, were you?" she asked, still laughing. She _actually_ thought it was funny! "Well," she went on, "I can't really say that I expected it myself."

Sasuke kept his distance. He was unsure of whether it would be alright to approach the girl now; he was half afraid the Kyuubi was going to pop out again.

It was silent for a moment. "What are you thinking?" Ayako finally asked him, staring up at the ceiling with tired eyes.

"I… don't know," he answered. Taking a breath, he stepped up next to her. "You seem tired. You should get some rest."

She nodded slightly, closing her eyes. "I do feel a little… light headed. That took a lot out of me."

"But it gave a lot back as well."

She opened her eyes again and smiled up at him. Sasuke looked away. To think of this little girl as Naruto would definitely take some getting used to. "Promise me that after you have the baby, if you really are Naruto, that you'll change back to normal. Permanently."

"You still don't believe me?" the girl demanded weakly.

"…sorry."

They were both quiet for a moment, until finally Ayako sighed. "Of course I will change back to normal after I have the baby. You think I want to stay a _woman_ for the rest of my life?" Sasuke glanced at her to see that she was looking down at her own body with a frown. She scoffed. "I _hate_ being a woman sometimes."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. " 'Sometimes…?' " he quoted.

She looked up and gave him a curious little smirk. "If only you knew," she laughed. _Please, Naruto, if that's really you under there, do _not _turn into a woman completely. I don't think I can handle anymore of this._

* * *

Naruto sighed as Sasuke left. The Uchiha had said his farewells when Sakura came back home, which had been only moments earlier. As she watched Sasuke leave, Sakura pulled up a cushioned seat next to the couch and sat. Naruto eyed the seat curiously. It looked like it was originally meant to be a footrest. He smiled. That would be just like Sakura; to get rid of a seat and keep the footrest as a seat in it's place.

"So…" the girl started slowly. "What did you two talk about?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not much. He's as stubborn as ever of course."

Sakura gaped at him. "He _still_ doesn't believe you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I think he does, he just doesn't want to admit it. It's that Uchiha pride of his, you know."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course." She sighed. "So… things might work out between the two of you after all."

"I guess." Naruto smiled slightly as he twirled the little blue flower in his hands.

"Did Sasuke bring you that?" Sakura asked with a smile of her own. Naruto nodded and held it out for her to sniff. Sakura put her little nose in the flower's center and inhaled deeply. "Mmmmm…" She laughed. "I don't think Sasuke's _ever_ bought a flower for someone before."

Naruto laughed as well. "Probably not," he agreed. He blinked a few times, trying not to fall asleep. God, he was so _tired_.

As if reading his mind, Sakura said, "You should probably get some sleep if you ever want to get any better to see Sasuke again."

Naruto nodded. She was right, he would never get better without rest. Plus he was pretty sleepy. With a small smile, Naruto placed the little flower up to his nose and closed his eyes.


	9. Questions That Need Answering

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. _

It had taken Naruto a full week to recover from his illness. Tsunade's medicine had helped a lot, along with a few energy boosts from Kyuubi's chakra. However, unfortunately for Naruto, he had to live with _Sakura_. The little pink haired delight would not let him so much as _move_. If she suspected even a hint of sickness - if Naruto gave even the littlest cough, or a single sneeze - she would absolutely insist on keeping him in bed all day. Not only that, but she had _also_ insisted on feeding him _soup_- for _every single_ meal.

Naruto had never before in his life been curious enough to know exactly how many different types of canned soup there were out in the world; now he was sure he could name off each and every one of them, making a very long list which even included taste, smell, and texture.

And not only had he had to deal with the very annoying and persistent Sakura, who felt the need to absolutely smother _adorable little Ayako-chan_ with love and kindness during every waking moment of the day, but also Naruto had had to put up with the constant stream of visitors that came to see him. Word had spread fast of "Ayako's" illness, and as mentioned a time or two before, "she" had quite a fan club. Unlike one might have imagined, Naruto did not feel at all comforted by having so many people concerned for him and his well being. He knew for a fact that it was not _Naruto_ that they loved - it was only Ayako, and it would only ever _be_ Ayako. If any of the villagers ever found out about his true identity (well, other than the few who already knew, of course) Naruto knew that they wouldn't be nearly as caring.

Naruto scoffed suddenly. _"True identity."_ Sounded like Spiderman or something. _'My spidey sense is tingling,'_ he quoted. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he reached up to swat a lone little spider that had crawled away from the web it had tangled in among his curtains.

After finally convincing Sakura that he was, in fact, completely healed, she had immediately decided upon cleaning up his apartment, which had been all but abandoned for over two months. Actually, it was nearing three months now. Almost three months since the night of the party, since the night he had gotten pregnant, and still Naruto wasn't starting to show at all.

Pausing in the process of cleaning, Naruto absentmindedly rubbed a hand across his still-flat stomach. Maybe this was something to worry about. Shouldn't his belly be getting bigger by now? Naruto didn't know much about babies, and the few times he had actually seen a pregnant woman, their bellies were large and bulging, as if about ready to burst. Shouldn't his stomach be growing like that soon too?

He hadn't noticed Sakura watching him. Silently, the girl placed a hand on his arm, as if to comfort, and gave him a knowing look. Naruto shot her a reassuring smile before getting back to work.

...Sasuke hadn't once come to see Naruto since the incident with the Kyuubi, and Naruto wasn't sure if he was more grateful for this, or sad.

Naruto had held tightly to the flower he had been given, though. In most of his free time - which meant every moment of the day when there weren't visitors, and whenever Sakura wasn't shoving spoonfuls of soup down his throat - he had simply laid there in his bed, twirling the blue flower in front of his face, pausing every now and then to examine the delicate petals, or to inhale the sweet scent that emitted from it.

That had gotten very old very quickly, though, even if the flower did make him think of Sasuke every time he saw it. (Really, how many people could be content with sitting there just looking at a flower all day?) And also, Naruto knew that, like any other flower, this one would wilt with time. That's why he had pressed it in among the pages of an old photo album, right next to a picture of he and Sasuke from their early teens.

Naruto stopped his cleaning again, to look around and admire his and Sakura's hard work. They had been fixing up the apartment for going on three days now, and were finally finishing it up. The place was clean for the most part, the floor was visible and the worst of the dust was gone; spider webs on the ceiling and dust bunnies under the coach was all that was left for them to worry about now, for which Naruto was glad.

Still, there was just one problem. How could he possibly move back into his apartment still posing as a woman, as he was? He didn't want people to know the _true identity_ of "Ayako," so he couldn't exactly just move right back into _Naruto's_ apartment. He said as much to Sakura then.

She thought for a moment, a hand on her chin and her brow creased slightly. "Hm…. That _is_ a problem. Well, you know, I'd be more than happy for you to stay with me in _my _apartment, Naruto, but if you stay away from _here_ for the rest of the time during your pregnancy… well, that would be a waste of all our hard work. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to come by and clean the place up every now and then…?"

Naruto sighed and got back to sweeping for the moment. "There doesn't seem to be any other way around it, I suppose."

Sakura nodded silently.

"It doesn't seem like you need any more help with this." Both Sakura and Naruto spun at the sound of Sasuke's voice.

Sakura was the first to recover from the slight shock. "Why, were you offering?" she asked with a smirk.

Sasuke looked a little offended at that. "Of course not. I've just finished getting _my_ place clean from that damned party." Naruto suddenly wondered how Sasuke had gotten in; he hadn't heard the front door open. He eyed the livingroom window suspiciously.

Sasuke circled the apartment once or twice before speaking again. "The only reason I came by was because the people in the village have begun to talk. They're all starting to wonder where Naruto has gone, and why Sakura and _Ayako-chan_ have both been stopping by his apartment lately, apparently to clean." The Uchiha reached out to touch one of the leaves of a little green plant that Sakura had set on the kitchen counter. He glanced up at the two of them with dark eyes. "The elders are starting to get suspicious."

Naruto plopped himself down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh. "Great. Just what I need."

Sasuke shrugged. "Just thought you might want to know. So don't be too shocked if you get a surprise visit from Kakashi or Iruka one of these days."

"Yo!"

Naruto was so startled that he jumped up from his seat, broom in hand as if ready to use it as a weapon if need be. At the mention of his name, Kakashi had appeared upside-down right in front of the apartment window - the one that Sasuke had probably just come in through - giving the peace sign and smiling under that mask of his.

Silently, and stealthily, the silver haired man slipped inside through the open window. "Very good guesswork, Sasuke," Kakashi said in bright approval. If anything, Sasuke just looked annoyed. Apparently, the Uchiha hadn't wanted to be around when said person or people showed up. "Iruka should be here in just a few moments. _He_ decided to take the long way around." He gestured to the door, which was knocked upon almost as soon as he did so. Kakashi's smile brightened a little more. "Ah. That's him now. Come in!" he called before giving any of the three a chance to say anything. Just as Kakashi had said, it was Iruka who stepped in from the hallway, his eyes as large and curious as ever.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything too important," the man said, giving them all his usual happy smile. He crossed the room over to where everyone else was already crowded in. "Kakashi and I just stopped by to ask a few questions."

"Questions?" Naruto said before remembering that he was still just a little girl in their eyes. Kakashi and Iruka both turned their gazes on him, and he couldn't help but blush. Damn this girlish form of his! He hated it so much for making him blush so easily. Naruto crossed his arms, suddenly getting the impulse to stick his tongue out at his former teachers.

"First thing's first," Kakashi started. "Do any of you happen to know where our little Naruto has run off to? We seem to have misplaced him sometime in the last couple of months." The man had not taken his eyes off of "Ayako" as he spoke, and Naruto, no longer able to meet his gaze, dropped his own eyes to the floor. "I thought so," Kakashi said softly to himself.

"Uh, it would really be a help if you knew his current whereabouts," Iruka said loudly, speaking over Kakashi's quiet statement. "He seems to have gone missing. No one's seen him since the night of Sasuke's party." The man gestured to said Uchiha, who scowled slightly in return. That scowl was pointedly ignored.

Naruto lifted his gaze again, only to see that everyone in the room was looking directly at _him_. "What?" he finally demanded.

"Well…" Kakashi started. "It's just a bit unusual. Naruto was last seen in his 'sexy jutsu' form, which as we _all_ know by now gives him the appearance of a pretty young girl. Then, just after his disappearance, a pretty young girl shows up in Konoha - one who, by the way, just so _happens_ to have the same exact hair and eye color as Naruto…. Not only that but also I hear this girl has claimed to have _amnesia_, and stops in to visit regularly with Tsunade. Unusual circumstances, indeed."

Naruto's heart was pounding so loudly in his chest. _Oh god, oh god._ _I can't let them find out. I can't let them find out about the baby!_ What would the elders think? The Kyuubi boy and the last remaining Uchiha boy having a _baby_ together? _Oh god._ His heartbeat sounded loudly in his head. They were going to find out. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. They were going to find out about the baby and they were going to take it from him!

"Stop it!" Sakura shouted accusingly at the two men, who both looked at her in surprise. "You're scaring her!" The pink haired girl quickly rushed to Naruto's side, pushing a glass of water into one of his shaking hands. Trying to calm his nerves, Naruto began taking large gulps from the glass.

When finally he could speak again, he said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand why I suddenly freaked out like that." He still couldn't look at them. He couldn't look up at Kakashi and Iruka. The truth in his eyes would surely give him away.

"I think I'd like an explanation." Kakashi's voice had lost it's usual cheeriness. Naruto put a weary hand to his forehead, trying to hold back tears. His hands were shaking. Why did he want to cry? This didn't make any sense.

Just then, someone crossed the room, and stood before him. Naruto refused to look up at them; all he could see was their feet. Then, Iruka crouched down in front of him, his eyes searching. "Is that you, Naruto?" he asked quietly. Sakura, who was still at Naruto's side, sat silently, watching the two of them, a concerned look on her face.

Naruto's eyes filled to the brim and spilled over, tears falling to his lap and to the recently cleaned floor. He looked Iruka right in the face, and the man stood with a bewildered expression. He turned to Kakashi. "I think we all need a hopt cup of tea. We should all sit and talk this over… calmly." With that, he left the room for the kitchen, passing Sasuke, who's facial expression was unreadable.

As it turned out, Naruto - "Ayako" - Sakura, and Sasuke all ended up on the couch, with both Iruka and Kakashi sitting across from them on the floor. Kakashi was crouching rather than sitting, and Iruka politely had his tucked in so that he was sitting on his knees. All was silent for a while as the two interrogators and the three getting interrogated sat sipping their drinks. Kakashi was the first to break the silence, his earlier brightness now all but faded away into simple curiosity. "So… I think you have a few things to answer for, eh _Ayako_?"

"Kakashi," Iruka hissed quietly. Then, calmly, he said, "We just want to know where Naruto is and what's going on, nothing more than that." Ah Iruka, always the optimistic one, always the one trying his hardest to comfort and calm the situation, no matter how crazy said situation happened to be.

"I-" Naruto's girlish voice cracked, so he cleared his throat and started over. His hands, which were balled into tight fists on his thighs, were shaking still, and his knuckles were white. "I am Naruto," he finally managed to say, and he said it quietly.

There was a moment of silence as Kakashi and Iruka both took that in. Kakashi seemed to accept it easily enough. "Why have you been posing as this 'Ayako' person then?" the man asked.

When Naruto didn't answer right away, Iruka added, "It doesn't make any sense to us, Naruto. We just want to know the reason why, and then we'll be on our way."

All was quiet again, everyone in the room waiting for a response from the Kyuubi container. The world seemed to be holding it's breath; had it stopped spinning from beneath them? Then, the most amazing thing happened. Just as Naruto opened his mouth to answer, Sasuke spoke up for him.

All eyes turned to the Uchiha as he spoke. "The reason _why _Naruto is still in the form of a woman is because we're going to be getting _married_ soon. And since when has gay marriage been allowed in Konoha?" He shrugged. "The plan was to introduce Ayako to the villagers, then to wait until after the marriage to reveal who _she_ really is."

Naruto stared at Sasuke with eyes wide and mouth hanging open, tears beginning to fall again, but this time from relief. Did he really mean it? Did Sasuke… did Sasuke _really_ want to get married… to Naruto -_Ayako­ _of all people? It was hard to hold down the hope that was welling up inside of him.

Kakashi and Iruka both looked shocked, to put it lightly. Once again, Kakashi was the first to recover. He cleared his throat. "Alright," he said. "I guess I can accept that. But… apparently this was news to both Sakura and _Ayako_, seeing the surprised looks on their faces." He grimaced. "Also, I can tell you're holding something back. All of you. There's something that hasn't been said yet, and I want to know what it is."

Iruka looked up as well, his eyes also questioning. Apparently, he had sensed it too.

Naruto bowed his head in shame, his cheeks flaming from embarrassment. Should he say it? What if Sasuke didn't want them to know? He bowed his head a little lower, his chin nearly touching his chest and his hair falling into his face.

To Naruto's surprise, he didn't have to say anything at all. Once again, it was Sasuke who answered. The Uchiha boy, like Naruto, was also hiding his face, looking anywhere _but_ at the two men in front of them- or at "Ayako" of course. When he finally spoke his voice was quiet, so quiet that even Naruto almost didn't catch it.

"…Naruto's pregnant," he said.

The silent pause lasted much longer this time. Naruto refused to look up, or even to glance at the two men from behind the veil of hair that covered his face. The two men would speak soon. They would have questions- many, many more questions. They would want to know why, how it was possible… and they would probably ask more things than Naruto -and Sasuke too- felt comfortable trying to explain.

"Well…" Kakashi finally started, breaking the awkward silence. The man took a very deep breath. _Oh god,_ Naruto thought, his hands tightening into fists again. _Here it comes._

"Congratulations to you, Naruto. And to you too, Sasuke."

Naruto - and Sasuke as well, he wasn't surprised to see - both looked up in astonishment as the two men sitting before them stood, as if ready to leave. Iruka gave Kakashi a half questioning look as they sat their empty tea cups down on the kitchen counter. "With that, I suppose we'll take our leave," the silver haired man continued, his usual bright smile returning as if he had learned of nothing out of the ordinary at all. His eyes, though, were knowing as he spoke again. "All we needed to know was where Naruto had gone, and why," he explained. "You don't have to share anything else with us that you don't want to."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat, and his lungs wouldn't work again until both men had left the apartment. And even afterward, he was still sitting as stiff as a board. They… nothing bad had happened. They didn't care? They weren't curious? They weren't going to probe deeper, or try to take the baby from him? Suddenly he was confused, and he put a hand to his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on.

"Home," he told the other two. "To… to Sakura's apartment. It's been a long day. I think I need to lie down." Sakura nodded in understanding and Sasuke merely watched as Naruto stood and headed for the apartment door. He felt a little dizzy. Could he make it down the stairs on his own?

Once the door clicked behind him, Naruto leaned up against the wall and sighed deeply. He didn't want to think. When he thought about everything, he only got confused. How _had _his life managed to become so complicated and stressful? A nap was what he needed. A good, long nap.

Naruto's foot was on the very first step when he sensed the presence from behind. Usually, he would have felt it on the spot, seeing as the way it loomed over his backside, danger rolling off of it in waves, would have been obvious enough to any ninja. But Naruto's ninja skills had become… out of order lately, and so when this new presence snuck up from behind, he had no time to call out or give warning to Sasuke and Sakura, who were both just beyond the apartment door.

A hard shove was quickly bestowed upon his shoulders, so that Naruto was sent toppling down the flight of stairs, nearly headfirst. The push was rough, and obviously intentional. Why? _Why?_ Who would do this to him? Who would do this to Ayako and her poor defenseless baby? Naruto didn't have much time to think as he continued to tumble down, earning quite a collection of scrapes and bruises, but the last thing he was aware of was the fact that he could lose the baby. And, in that instant, Naruto knew that whoever it was who had pushed him, wasn't trying to get rid of _him_ personally….

They wanted to kill his baby.

* * *

_**A/N: **__My god, it seems like FOREVER since I've updated. And to tell you the truth, I wasn't actually planning on doing it tonight. Somehow, it just worked out that way. I'm getting interested in this story again though (which is a good thing) so I'll try to update again soon._

* * *


	10. Happenings

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto_

* * *

The first thing Naruto was aware of was that his whole body felt completely numb. He couldn't move an inch. Slowly, his eyes opened. Where was he? He was actually surprised to find that he could move his head. Glancing around the room, he saw that he was at Tsunade's place. _Why am I here?_ he wondered.

As if he had called on her, Tsunade made her way into the room, and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing him awake. "Oh Naruto," she heaved, plopping herself down onto a stool nearby. She seemed exhausted. "Thank goodness you're awake. I was beginning to worry." Quickly, she grabbed his wrist and checked his pulse. Next, she took his temperature. It wasn't until she was satisfied with his condition that she spoke again, and Naruto found that he didn't mind waiting.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

He pulled his eyes away from her face and looked up to the ceiling. "Weird," he answered.

"I gave you something to keep you calm, so you wouldn't wake in a panic." She paused. "Do you remember what happened?"

He thought for a moment. "No."

"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked.

With a small sigh, Naruto thought back -way back into his past, to a time where he and Sasuke had kissed on the roof of his apartment building in the light of the full moon. Time had passed, Sasuke had had a party for his 18th birthday. At the party… they had gotten drunk. Naruto had changed into his sexy jutsu form. All the memories he had from after that time came seeping back slowly, until Naruto's eyes were wide with fright. His baby… was the baby alright? He turned to Tsunade and was about to ask as much - until she spoke before him.

"Your baby is fine Naruto," she told him firmly. "I just wanted you to know that before we discussed anything further. I don't need a hysterical teen _mother _on my hands after what I've already been put through today."

"Tsunade…" Naruto whispered, still trying to get over the fact that his baby was alright. Oh thank _god_, his baby was alright! He couldn't help but feel every tense bone in his body relax, as if a great weight had been lifted. "What happened?" he asked then. "Did they find the guy who pushed me?" Even saying it aloud made him shake with anger. He could have lost his baby!

Tsunade's expression hardened; she was angry about it as well. "No," she replied flatly. "Sasuke and Sakura heard your fall, but they were too late to prevent it. You were very lucky, you know. Any other mother would have lost the baby instantly. I suppose the Kyuubi protected you…. You did get quite banged up though, and you've been unconscious for three days."

"Three _days?!_" he demanded disbelievingly.

_Don't worry, kid,_ the fox demon said to him then. _That's my fault. If you wanted to be completely healed, and keep your… baby, then it had to be at least three days._ Apparently the fox was still not yet used to saying the word "baby," but still, it was Naruto's turn to sigh with relief.

"So… they didn't see him?" he asked. "Sasuke and Sakura didn't see the guy that pushed me? He was standing right there at the top of the steps when I fell."

"Obviously," Tsunade answered, eying him darkly. "But both Sasuke _and_ Sakura claim that there was not a soul out there - other than you of course. We wouldn't have known there was an attacker at all had said person not left a little something behind." Reaching over, the woman snatched up pen and paper from atop a desk nearby.

"What did they leave behind?" he asked.

The woman ignored his question and continued to scribble on the paper. Finally, with the completed drawing in hand, she held it out for him to see. Hastily she had sketched what appeared to be a symbol of some sort. It was a large teardrop encircled by flame. "_This_ was burned into the wall just at the top of the stairs," she informed him. Naruto's mouth was hanging slightly open as he stared at her and at the symbol in shock.

"Does anyone know what the symbol means?" he asked quietly. His voice was tight and caught in his throat.

Tsunade shook her head and lowered the paper. "No. But we are trying our best." She hesitated before speaking again. "You haven't heard the worst of it yet, I'm afraid. I'm sorry Naruto, but we had to bring it up to most of Konoha; everyone in the village at least knows _of_ Ayako by now. Questions were asked, people were… frantic, and restless. Things got a little out of hand. In the end, your secret was revealed."

Naruto could feel the blood draining from his face, and his hands began to shake. It was a while before he could speak again. "Why… how did people take it?" He was surprised to hear himself choked with tears. What would they think of his baby? What would they think of _him_? How could things possibly get any worse?

Tsunade sighed. "Not well, at first," she answered.

" 'At first?' " he quoted.

"Eventually they came to a… sort of understanding. But it took a _lot_ of persuasion on our part- _our_, meaning Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Iruka, and myself. When your friends found out -the girls _and_ the boys- such as Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Choji Akimichi, they were all more than willing to back you up - after they got over the initial shock, of course. Others such as Kiba Inuzuka, Neji Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara were all on the neutral side. We meant for only those few to know of your little secret, but you know how the saying goes; a secret that more than three people knows is no longer a secret. Somehow it just spilled out.

"The elders weren't too happy to hear it, I can tell you that much, but those old men were all always so fond of sweet little _Ayako-chan_, that they thought of _her_ and her baby first, and not of _Naruto_, you understand? The villagers are much the same. They see Ayako, _not_ the Kyuubi-container."

Naruto glanced down at the white sheets of the bed he was laying in - when had he sat up? Things were going to be much more complicated than they had been before now that everyone knew his _true identity._ He wished… he wished….

He didn't know what he wished for anymore.

Ah. No, he knew; he wished _Sasuke_ were here.

"Where's Sakura and Sasuke and the others?" he asked quietly.

Again, she hesitated to answer. "Your friends were all very eager to find the one responsible for this, Naruto. Copies have been made of that symbol; it's been posted all around Konoha. Most of your friends are out searching for the guy who did this, asking questions and the like in neighboring towns and villages. Some even insisted on going beyond that, claiming that the attempted-assassin could have gotten pretty far away in three days time."

Suddenly, something came over Tsunade. She must have been reading his mind. Looking him straight in the eye, she laid a comforting hand on one of his, and said very quietly, "You have so many friends here, Naruto, who love you and who are willing to put out the efforts to help you. Some of them - like Sasuke - just… don't know how to show it."

Despite himself, hot tears spilled down Naruto's cheeks. He looked away from Tsunade and swallowed hard until he could get his emotions under control. "Damn. I hate how easy it is to make me cry when I'm a woman like this." He was surprised at himself for even admitting such a thing.

Tsunade's hand squeezed his gently. "It get's easier," she assured him.

"…I hope so."

* * *

"Until the guy who tried to kill you has been found, you are going to be put under constant watch." Tsunade grimaced as she pulled open the door. "Sorry Naruto."

Naruto was more disappointed than shocked to see Kakashi enter the room. He sighed deeply. This meant he would have to be around this _pervert_ all the time now. Well, at least it was better than someone like Jiraiya- AKA "PervySage."

Kakashi gave a warm smile when he saw Naruto, and held up a hand in a kind of salute. "Yo," he greeted.

"Is that _always_ the way you say hello?" Naruto demanded, already annoyed.

"Not always," the silver haired man replied casually.

Tsunade shut the door behind the man and pulled up a chair for him. Kakashi took the seat gratefully. "I've been standing out there for about two days now," he complained to Naruto. "Did you really have to wait that long to wake up?" The Kyuubi boy crossed his arms and frowned at him, which only made Kakashi laugh seeing as Naruto was only a cute little girl in his eyes.

"We know you well enough by now to suspect that you were probably sleeping half the time you were out there anyway," Tsunade informed him playfully. She quickly passed around hot cups of tea.

Kakashi's eyes twinkled at her words but he didn't argue. Instead he said, "I won't be the only one watching over you Naruto. You also have Iruka of course, and Tsunade herself from time to time - she _is_ Hokage, you know, she can't watch you _everyday_. Then there's also Guy." Kakashi sighed and looked annoyed at this. "Don't worry,_ I'll _be watching _him_ to make sure he's doing a good job of watching _you_. Anyway, oh yes, and surprisingly, even Hiashi Hyuga has decided to be one of your _babysitters_." The man smirked at Naruto's dubious look.

Kakashi continued on anyway. "Little Hinata went into an absolute _rage_ when she found out you had almost lost your baby. Her father had never seen her like that before in her life, and this was the most she could get him to do for you. It was quite shocking really, the way she handled it. _I've_ never seen her like that before either."

"You forget that his daughter's wishes is not the only reason why Hiashi is doing this," Tsunade interrupted. "He was quite impressed with Naruto's fight against Neji those some years ago, and he has a sort of respect for the boy." She sighed. "For sake of sanity on all our parts, let's just say it's a clan-thing. Something about respect and all that. Paying you back for… well, something to do with you beating a Hyuga. Something about bravery and chivalry and competitiveness or… I don't really know. Hiashi knows. If you're curious, next time he's around you can ask him yourself."

Naruto nodded. He _was_ quite curious. He had never actually met Hiashi before, but he knew of him through Neji and Hinata, and some of the other villagers as well. He couldn't imagine why the man would volunteer to watch out for him, especially after Naruto had beaten the crap out of someone in the guy's own family. At least, that was how Naruto saw it anyway. Who knows. Maybe Hiashi just had a soft spot for girls. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. The man _did_ have two daughters of his own, after all.

"You've worked Sasuke up into quite a frenzy you know," Kakashi informed him, smiling. "He didn't know whether he should stay here to protect you himself, or go out and kill that guy who'd pushed you. In the end he decided to leave your responsibility in _our_ capable hands." He gave a laugh that sounded an awful lot like a giggle.

Naruto sighed and hung his head. _Great,_ he thought not-so-enthusiastically.

"You know, Sasuke thinks he's on to something," Kakashi continued, his one visible eye sparkling. "He thinks he recognizes that symbol the guy left behind."

"But he's not sure," Tsunade interrupted. "So it's best not to get our hopes up. That way, if we fail, it doesn't feel so much like failure."

And that was the end of _that_ conversation.

Mostly after that, the three sat around drinking their tea, enjoying the peace and quiet for however so long it would last. Naruto couldn't help but feel content at having these two around, even _if_ one was an old hag and the other a perv. They were still both what you could consider his mentors after all. He was glad for their presence.

For the moment, even if it was for just a moment, Naruto could sit and drink tea and not worry that everyone in Konoha knew his secret. He would have plenty of time to worry about all that later. For now, it was nice to just relax.

* * *

Who better to barge in on Naruto's peace of mind than Guy, with of course his student Lee not too far behind? The two had come crashing into the room shortly after he, Tsunade, and Kakashi had settled down to drink their tea. Kakashi rolled his eyes and made an excuse to leave, curtly interrupting Lee and Guy's big spiel on "protecting the mother" and "vanquishing evil" and all that. Even if the two were annoying, Naruto couldn't hold down a smile. It was almost like old times for a moment; the two barging in to make a scene and Kakashi-sensei getting annoyed and leaving. Naruto was glad to see them both. Old friends were always welcome, of course.

"Ayako-chan," Lee sighed, sweeping to bow politely at his -_her_- feet, "you are as beautiful as ever!" Naruto sighed. This was the way Lee _always_ acted whenever he was around "Ayako."

"Please, Lee, just call me Naruto," he replied in a pained voice.

Lee grinned up at him and stood. "You should have told me before who you really were, Naruto," he said plopping himself down at the edge of Naruto's bed. "It would have saved me a lot of embarrassment. I'm glad to see that you are doing well."

"As am I!" Guy declared, proudly pointing a thumb in his own direction. A bit more seriously he said, "According to Tsunade it's a very lucky thing that you didn't lose the baby."

Naruto nodded. "It _is_ a lucky thing," he agreed. Then, he turned to Lee. "Have you found the guy yet? The one who pushed me?"

Lee, as dramatic as ever, dropped flat on the floor in what was supposed to be some sort of low bow. "I am so sorry Ayako-chan, but we have not yet been able to locate or even find out the identity of your attempted-killer. Please, I beg of your forgiveness!"

"Get off the floor Lee," Naruto sighed.

"There's something that troubles me about this guy we're looking for," Guy said to the other two then, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought. "If he wanted you dead why didn't he just kill you? Why did he bother sneaking up from behind and pushing you down some steps? This must not have been a very smart killer, unless he wasn't actually _meaning_ to kill you."

Naruto looked at him darkly, and placed a protective arm on his stomach. "That's one thing I'm worried about too," he said. "I know - don't ask me how, I just do! - but I _know_ that the guy who shoved me wasn't trying to kill me, he was trying to kill the _baby_ inside me."

Tsunade, who had been entering and exiting the room since the two visitors arrived, cleaning and such, stopped what she was doing when she heard Naruto's words. "What makes you think that Naruto?" she asked.

"I told you not to ask!" he exclaimed. "It's like Guy said, if this dude wanted to kill me then he just would have done it - he wouldn't have just pushed me down a flight of steps. Trust me Tsunade, this guy is no joke. I felt his presence just before he pushed me. I didn't have time to scream but… this was evil if I've ever felt anything evil in my life. This guy… he's got some serious problems. If he had wanted me dead, he could have _had_ me dead in a heartbeat, but instead he chose to push me. He wanted the _baby_ dead, not me."

Tsunade nodded, and when she spoke she was talking to Guy. "What he says makes sense."

Guy nodded as well. "I agree. Hm…. That means we need to be a lot more careful, even after the baby is born. Let's hope it doesn't take that long to find this guy, but what if he's an assassin working for somebody else? What if it's his job to kill the baby? …And why? Hm…. This leaves us with a lot to think about. Come on, Lee. It's time to get back to work."

"Hai, Guy-sensei!" Lee answered enthusiastically, hopping up from the bed and following his teacher out the door. At the last moment he turned around and waved bye to Naruto, who waved shortly back.

Moments afterward, Sasuke Uchiha appeared quietly in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe, refusing to look at anything but Naruto. He seemed… tired, to put it lightly. There were dark rings around his eyes, and he seemed a bit thinner than usual, as if he hadn't eaten anything in a while, and he looked about ready to fall over right where he stood. Tsunade took one glance at him and left the room.

Sasuke sighed and made his way over to the bed. Stumbled over to the bed, actually. When he finally sat, Naruto had the strongest urge to put his arms around the boy to comfort him. The Uchiha rubbed his hands through his hair and muttered something about a headache. Naruto acted on the spot, crawling over to rub his hands through Sasuke's hair and over his scalp. Using a bit of his own chakra to massage Sasuke's shoulders and neck, he knew that this should at least get rid of the headache, if anything.

"How are you?" Sasuke asked quietly. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment - the effects of the massage must have already been kicking in.

"I feel fine," Naruto answered honestly. "But _you_ look like a wreck." It was about that time when Tsunade brought in two platefuls of steaming food. "You look nearly starved to death," she told the Uchiha as she handed them both their meals. "And Naruto, you should be pretty hungry by now as well. And don't _even_ complain that it's not ramen. Those noodles aren't good for your health to be eating all the time."

Naruto smiled up at her, just thankful that she had brought them food at all. He didn't care that it wasn't ramen, he hadn't even _eaten_ ramen in a while.

Sasuke and Naruto were left alone again, and they ate in silence. When finally both plates were empty, Naruto spoke. "Sasuke, I…." Before he could even finish his sentence - and he forgot what it had been he was going to ask anyway - Sasuke swept him up into a light hold. Naruto instantly felt tears welling up into his eyes. When was the last time Sasuke had held him like this? The smell of the Uchiha boy filled his senses, leaving him too weak to even hug back.

After a moment or two, Sasuke released him, and they sat talking quietly about unimportant things. It was as if Naruto himself were sitting there, un-pregnant and not in woman-form. It was as if Sasuke truly trusted him. But even as they talked, Naruto could see deep worry in the other boy's eyes. Finally, he had to ask. "Why- why are you losing so much sleep over this Sasuke?"

Sasuke took a moment to answer. For a while, the Uchiha just sat there, staring silently at Naruto, until finally he answered. "I was worried… about the baby. Someone somewhere out there, is trying to hurt you… Naruto." It was the first time he had admitted that it was really Naruto there, and not just Ayako. "They want to kill your-_ our_ baby. And whatever they want to do with you can't be much better…. You don't know what it was like seeing you bleeding down at the bottom of those stairs. For a while I thought… I thought maybe…."

"You thought I had lost the baby," Naruto finished for him. Sasuke nodded, and rested his head in his hands. He looked so tired. As daring as possible, Naruto slipped his arms around the Uchiha. He tried to make Sasuke rest against him, and the other boy was too tired to even fight back. "If you don't sleep, you'll never be able to keep your strength up," Naruto told him quietly. "If you don't keep your strength up, then what can you possibly do about the guy once you find him?"

After a moment's hesitation, Sasuke nodded again. "You're right."

All was quiet for a long time. Tsunade came in once to collect their dirty dishes, and smirked at seeing the two sound asleep in each other's arms on the bed. Somehow, she had known that things would eventually turn out this way, in the end. Those boys were destined to be together.


	11. A Growing Kyuubi Boy Belly

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto._

_**A/N:**__ Woot! Woot!!! Chapter ELEVEN is UP!!! I am so happy! and I don't know about you all but I'm excited with the way the plot is turning out. I'm starting to wonder how many more chapters there are going to be…._

_Anyway, sorry it took a few days to update. It would have been sooner but I got hooked on a different anime, and it took a little while to get back into the Naruto storyline. _

* * *

Naruto was still allowed to do everything he would usually do, except now someone always had to watch his back. It was for the better he supposed, but it did get quite annoying at times. _Better to be annoyed than dead,_ the Kyuubi advised him.

_Yeah, I know,_ Naruto replied, rolling his eyes as Kakashi fished a little orange book out of his pocket.

A week passed without much luck. Then another week passed, with no leads on the guy who had tried to kill his baby. Sasuke hadn't come to see him in a while. Naruto was beginning to worry. _Don't fret over the Uchiha boy,_ the fox demon growled. _He won't go down easily. He'll fight for what's his._

Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke since the day they had fallen asleep together at Tsunade's place. When Naruto had woken that day, Sasuke had already been an hour gone. That was alright with Naruto though - he figured it was just Uchiha pride kicking in. It would have been an awkward morning had they woken together.

Things in Konoha had changed quite a bit since the attempted murder on his baby's life. People regarded Naruto with more respect than they ever had before. It was probably just because they saw a little defenseless Ayako-chan there, instead of the reckless Kyuubi boy. In any case, Naruto was glad for the support. There were still those in the village who looked down on him, though, such as a few of the elders and the like, but they were far outnumbered by those willing to protect him, so Naruto didn't worry much about it.

A month passed since the day he had been pushed, and still, there was no sign of Sasuke. Naruto, as promised, was still kept under constant guard - most of the time Kakashi was his guardian. The Kyuubi boy had to admit, even when Kakashi seemed to be sleeping or paying no attention whatsoever to the job at hand, he kept close watch. Iruka was much the same. Even when he sat next to Naruto and they laughed and shared small talk - it was a bit of a surprise that Iruka could act such a way even when Naruto was in his girlish form; the man acted as if it were truly Naruto sitting there and not some pregnant little girl - but even as they chatted, Naruto had a feeling that Iruka was always aware of what was going on around them.

Guy was a more interesting - and in a way, a most relieving - guardian. Often the man would burst in at random times and make a speech, with Rock Lee never too far behind. During these times, Naruto was glad for the chance to talk to Lee - he hardly got the chance to otherwise, since bushy-brows was always off somewhere with his sensei. Of course, then there was also Tsunade, who only watched over Naruto occasionally and for short periods of time - she had quite an important job to do; after all, she _was_ the Hokage, as Naruto seemed to be constantly reminded of lately.

Hiashi, unlike the others who watched over Naruto, was more serious than anything. He always sat cross-legged outside in the hallway near Naruto's apartment door, for Naruto had been staying in his _own_ apartment ever since the incident with the attempted murder. All in all, it probably wasn't very wise for him to be staying so near the scene of the crime, but Naruto felt more comfortable in his own home, surrounded by the things most familiar to him. On the subject of Hiashi, the man was always so grim and quiet. He hardly ever even opened his eyes. Despite that fact, Naruto was somehow sure that this man was more on the alert than any of the others had ever been.

Surprisingly, Hinata had come with Hiashi on his first day on watch. The petite little girl seemed so exhausted, and her face and clothes were dirty, but she smiled when she saw him. "Good morning, Naruto-kun," she said tenderly. He was sure that's what that sound was in her voice; a mixture of tenderness and understanding. Naruto was surprised she hadn't stumbled over his name, as many others had. Like Sakura, Ino, and TenTen, she had been very close to "Ayako-chan," and had spent many days with him laughing and talking with him while he was in female form. Now that she stood here before him, knowing full well who he really was, she seemed… calm, and at peace. She had never been like that around _Naruto-kun_ before.

"Good morning Hinata-chan," he replied with a smile of his own. Then he added another good morning to Hiashi, who returned his greeting with a silent bow. "Why don't we all go inside and have some tea?" Naruto suggested.

"I can't stay long," Hinata said, even as she and her father followed him into the apartment. "I have to go back with the others soon. We're all working really hard to find the person who did this, Naruto-kun."

"So I've heard," he replied, shutting the door behind them and shuffling to the kitchen for the tea. "Please, make yourselves comfortable," he called to them. Hiashi seated himself on the couch in the living room, but Hinata - as Naruto was surprised to see when he turned around - stood in the kitchen doorway watching him. "What?" he asked of her.

She smiled widely. It was a sweet thing to see on her honest little face. "I think you're starting to show," she commented, gesturing to his belly.

"Well I should be," he replied, grinning despite himself. "I'm almost four months along now you know."

Hinata laughed a light, twinkling laugh. It was nice to hear a sound so clear so early in the day. As it usually was since he had become a fulltime woman, being with the Hyuga girl was… relaxing. She suddenly walked up to him and gave his stomach a poke. "And how is the mother-to-be feeling these days?" After a short moment of thought, she added laughingly, "Or should I say _father_-to-be?"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh along with her. "Honestly I'm feeling fine," he answered. He turned his back then to finish fixing the tea.

Hinata's smile remained, but something of her joy seemed to slip momentarily. "Are you really doing, okay?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm fine. Really."

"You're lying." He turned back to her, slightly confused. What was she getting at? "You're worried about Sasuke-kun." Naruto lowered his eyes and bowed his head slightly. It was true. And how could he _not_ worry after almost a whole month of not seeing him? He missed Sasuke. He wanted so badly to see him. He wanted to know how he was doing, to see that he was alright.

"Maybe… a little," he admitted

"You shouldn't stress yourself, you know," Hinata continued. "Stress isn't good for the baby. Besides," she walked over to him and placed a hand lightly on his arm, "Sasuke-kun should be returning any day now."

Naruto sighed heavily. "I'll just have to take your word for it. Thank you Hinata."

She smiled happily at him.

After tea and idle chatter - Hiashi didn't include himself in their little conversations - Hinata announced that she should get back to work, and bid them both farewell. Not long afterward, Hiashi exited the apartment and sat outside the doorway. He hadn't even said a word to Naruto; the Kyuubi container was half worried that the man was just leaving.

An hour of silence and boredom in the apartment, and Naruto found his way out into the hallway with the man. "Would you like some more to drink?" he asked. It was so strange; Naruto's other guardians had been so talkative and happy - even Tsunade had been less grave than this man. Naruto wondered if maybe he could coaz Hiashi into conversation.

Hiashi didn't open either one of his eyes. "That might be nice," he replied.

Naruto nodded and brought him a cup. Sitting himself across the hallway from the man, Naruto sipped at his own tea. "So… how come you decided to take this job?" he asked curiously.

Hiashi finally opened his eyes. He made a short gesture with his head. "That man must be stopped." Naruto half turned to see what he had gestured to. The burn mark of the symbol of the one who had pushed him was still etched into the wall. The villigers had been unable to remove it. Of course, Naruto had seen it plenty of times before that moment, since it was there every time he stepped outside his apartment door, but that didn't make the anger he felt for that certain person ever go away. Glancing down the stairway, Naruto remembered clearly what it had been like to tumble down each and every one of them, and he raised his nose in disgust, quickly turning his head away.

"They tried to murder my baby," he said to no one in particular, placing a protective arm around his midsection.

Hiashi nodded in understanding. "I know the feeling," he said, though there were no emotions in his voice. Neither were there any in his eyes. "There have been plenty of assassination attempts on my daughters' lives." He sounded like he was speaking of something as simple as the weather.

Naruto thought for a moment. But… this was _different. _His baby wasn't even born yet. How could he protect something when he himself was still so pathetic? "That's not the same thing," he protested aloud.

"Isn't it?"

Naruto thought a moment longer. "Well… okay. Maybe it's not _that_ different. But still… I- I can't protect my baby. Not in the state I'm in. _You_ could protect both Hinata _and _Hanabi. I… can't do that yet." He looked sadly down at the floor. He wished he could do something about this. He _wanted_ to protect his child. His and _Sasuke's_ child.

"That's what _we_ are here for. To protect it in your place."

"Yes I know. But still… I'm a ninja! I want to be able to protect myself and my baby on my own."

Hiashi nodded again, in understanding. "Sometimes it's best to let those who love you protect you instead."

That caught Naruto off guard. For a moment he sat blinking at the man, who had his eyes shut again and was sipping his tea. Finally, Naruto gave a little smile. "Yeah. I guess I understand," he said.

All was silent for a while. Fifteen minutes or so passed before either of them spoke again, but it was a comfortable silence, somehow. Naruto couldn't imagine ever sharing a moment like this with Kakashi or Guy. However, Naruto being Naruto, the quiet eventually did became a little too much, and he felt compelled to speak. "Tsunade said something about you having another reason for… for protecting me like this. Something about me beating Neji in the Chunin exams."

Hiashi opened his eyes -again- and stared for a moment. Finally he answered - and he answered carefully, biting off each word as if it were something important that Naruto had to understand, or perhaps as if he was afraid to say too much. "Your battle with Neji was quite… impressive. I must admit, it had a definite an impact on me, watching you up there from the crowd. For defeating a Hyuga, and such a powerful and committed Hyuga as Neji, I have found a deep respect for you, and feel that I must show it. I must repay you for what you've done, and lend you a helping hand when I have the chance."

"But you don't have anything to repay me for!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, interrupting Hiashi's quiet speech. "I beat the holy hell out of one of your family members; if anything, _I_ should be the one repaying _you_!"

Hiashi chuckled. "It's amusing when you curse like that while in such a girlish form." Naruto couldn't help but blush slightly. "About what you said… I'm afraid you would not understand, even had I the patience to explain it to you."

Naruto grunted slightly in agreement. "You're probably right. Tsunade said it was one of those clan-things."

The man nodded wisely. "She was right."

"…Anyway, thank you for doing this. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful."

Hiashi half-bowed while sitting, and handed Naruto the empty cup when the Kyuubi container stood and gestured for it. "Were you surprised?" the man asked just as Naruto was about to enter the apartment.

"About what?"

"That so many people were willing to help and protect you and your baby."

Naruto smiled slightly. "Actually… yes."

Hiashi was silent for a moment, and just when Naruto thought he wasn't going to say anything more, the man spoke again. "Not everyone in Konoha sees you as _just_ the Kyuubi container."

Naruto grinned. His suspicions had just been confirmed. Playfully he said, "Ah Hiashi… if I didn't know any better I'd think you just had a soft spot for girls."

A tiny smile danced on Hiashi's lips. "I _do_ have two daughters of my own," he replied.

Naruto laughed lightly as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

Around noon the next day, Naruto received another surprise. Kakashi, Iruka, Tsunade, Sakura, Ino, and an astonishingly _clean_ Sasuke all came for a visit. Hiashi, who was surprisingly still on watch - and who had not yet once fallen asleep even though he had had his eyes closed half the time - allowed them all in. Naruto beamed at each of his friends. He had not had so many visitors in quite a while. Oh sure, people still came by to see him all the time - and he _was_ allowed to go out into town as long as he had a guardian watching over him - still, he had not seen nearly as many people in his apartment since… well, never, actually. After all, who would want to come visit the Kyuubi boy in his cramped apartment?

And if their visit wasn't a surprise enough, what they asked for was even more so. Kakashi came into the room with his usual bright smile, and politely declined when Naruto offered them all something to drink. "We won't be staying long, Naruto - we don't want to crowd your apartment. Oh look at that cute little belly jutting out! Are you gaining weight?"

Naruto sighed and couldn't resist a sweat drop. Kakashi just _loved_ to pick on him, didn't he? "What do you want Kakashi-sensei?" he asked, slightly annoyed now. He had spent too many days with the man recently.

Instead of answering, Kakashi frowned and feigned being emotionally hurt. "That's not a very nice way to say hello to your friends, Naruto."

"Enough playing games Kakashi," Tsunade sighed.

Iruka smiled and greeted Naruto warmly. "It's good to see you're doing well, Naruto. And your belly _is_ starting to stick out a little isn't it?"

Next was Ino and Sakura's turn. They squealed and giggled and absolutely went crazy rubbing and poking at his tiny bump of a belly. "Oooohh!" Sakura squealed. "I think I felt it kick!"

Naruto just smiled at the two excited girls and said, "Yeah, she does that."

" 'She?' " Ino quoted in delight. "How do you know it'll be a girl?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. But I think it will be."

Sakura squealed loudly again. "Ooooohhhh your baby is going to be so _cute_ Ayako-chan!" she exclaimed, slipping into her old habit of calling him "Ayako-chan."

After a few more minutes of poking and prodding and girlish squeals from Sakura and Ino, finally Naruto was allowed to turn to the solitary Uchiha, who standing aside from the crowd; Naruto was very much aware that all eyes were on the two of them now. "Hi, Sasuke," he greeted in a quiet tone with a small, uncertain smile.

"Hi," Sasuke greeted back, lowering his head a little and letting his hair fall into his face.

"If I didn't know any better," Ino whispered audibly to Sakura, "I'd say that's a blush on Sasuke's face." Sakura giggled so girlishly that it made one of Naruto's eyes twitch in annoyance.

"Uchiha's _don't _blush!" Sasuke retorted while everybody else laughed. It was good to have Sasuke around again, and Naruto told him as much. The blush on Sasuke's cheeks became much more noticeable at that.

"I'm glad you're not hurt or anything," Naruto continued.

"Eh. I'm fine."

"Did you just get back? You don't _look_ like you've been on a mission or anything."

Sasuke smirked. "No. I've been in Konoha a day. I cleaned myself up."

"You should have seen him yesterday," Kakashi commented to Naruto. "He was a _wreck_."

"Whatever," the Uchiha said to no one in particular and with a shrug.

"So what are you all doing here?" Naruto was finally able to ask of them.

Nobody answered at first. After a short moment of silence - most of the people in the room were smirking at one another or smiling at him in such a way that made Naruto suspicious - Tsunade asked, "Do you want to tell him Sasuke?"

"Sure," the Uchiha replied indifferently. To Naruto he said, "We were wondering if you wanted to come stay with me… in the mansion."

For a moment, Naruto was speechless. Stay with Sasuke? In the mansion? _Live_ with Sasuke? Survive through this pregnancy with Sasuke at his side? Naruto couldn't have asked for anything more - but before he could speak, Tsunade continued, "If you accept the offer, you won't have to deal with any of your annoying guardians anymore. Sasuke can watch over you from now on, and all the rest of us can focus on finding the culprit of this sticky little situation, which, overall, makes everybody happy. What do you say Naruto?"

Everyone watched him in anticipation. Tears filled Naruto's eyes, though he tried to hold them back. To stay with Sasuke… to be with Sasuke… to have Sasuke as his protector… what could possibly be better than that? "Of course I will," he replied with a smile. He was looking at the floor when he said it, quickly blinking away the tears.

"Good," Tsunade said with an approving nod. "Now that that's settled, go pack your things Naruto. Sasuke, and probably a few of the others, will walk you over to the Uchiha mansion. As for me, I have to get back to the office. Being _Hokage_ isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know."

Naruto laughed, but quickly hurried to do as she said. Once he had as many clothes fitted into one bag as he could get, along with a scattered assortment of personal belongings, Naruto joined Sasuke, who was the only one left waiting in the living room. The Uchiha relieved Naruto of his burden, shrugging it off as if it weren't a big deal, and took the extra effort to make sure Naruto didn't trip down the stairs outside the apartment. Outside the building waiting for them were Sakura and Ino. Kakashi and Iruka both had as much to do as Tsunade had, and they had left, saying to the two girls to tell Naruto and Sasuke goodbye for them.

On the way to the mansion, people stared at Naruto. They usually wouldn't have, but today, Sasuke Uchiha was with him. The villagers of Konoha already had their suspicions about who the baby's father was, but never had their suspicions been confirmed as true. Rumor had spread like a wildfire in dry grass. The one thought on everybody's mind lately was, _Is Sasuke Uchiha the father? _Nobody had asked Naruto or Sasuke personally, nobody had said a word, but the whole town was practically buzzing with anticipation.

And wasn't it strange that Naruto had slept with another guy? After all, that's what he would have done in order to get pregnant, and by now _everybody_ knew that he was pregnant. Not only that, but they all also knew who he truly was, - Naruto, _not_ Ayako - and of course, Naruto was obviously male.

…Well, except for right now of course.

So when the town's people saw Naruto walking side-by-side with Sasuke Uchiha - though with Ino and Sakura not too far behind - they all stopped to stare. Sasuke glared and Naruto blushed. The rumors would fly even faster now. The Uchiha standing next to him seemed to read his mind. Slowly and deliberately, with his free hand, Sasuke reached out for one of Naruto's, and the Kyuubi boy looked up at him with disbelief and hope in his eyes. Sasuke smirked and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "They're going to talk anyway. We might as well give them reason to."

Naruto laughed - but was ashamed to say that it came out as a giggle that even Sasuke winced at - and heard two startled gasps from behind. Both Sakura and Ino began to squeal excitedly again, but Naruto refused to let go of Sasuke's hand. Even had Sasuke tried to take it back or pull away, Naruto would not have let him. People would just have to stare - now that he had Sasuke he was never letting him go.


	12. Waiting For A Storm to Pass

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto._

* * *

Naruto felt like he had started a new life. His first day at the Uchiha mansion with the last remaining Uchiha was a bit… awkward at first. That wasn't exactly the way he had planed on it being, but there you have it. Naruto was given a room of his own - of course there were dozens in the mansion - and was allowed to decorate it however he wanted. He tried not to cling to Sasuke - because Naruto knew more than anybody that Sasuke hates things that cling, especially girls - but on his second day there while they were eating lunch, he had to ask….

"How do you think the elders will take to the Kyuubi container and the last Uchiha having a baby together?" Sasuke just stared at him. "I mean, they know we're both guys, and they know that _I _wouldn't know how to raise a child since I've never had any parents to set an example for me. And no offense Sasuke, but they know how the Uchiha's are all clan-killy. Plus, I _am_ the Kyuubi boy. What if they think this baby's just a little ball of fur with claws and teeth? Or better yet, what if it is?"

_Don't worry about that, kid,_ Kyuubi interrupted. _Your baby will be human-looking._

_You haven't spoke in a while, Kyuubi. Wait, 'human-_looking_?' It _will_ be fully human won't it?_

_Yes of course, _the fox demon laughed. _You think I'd leave it to a pathetic whelp like _you_ to bear _my_ kits? _He snorted with laughter.

Naruto decided not to reply.

As Naruto was speaking to Kyuubi, Sasuke was staring at the table in front of him, letting his mind wander. Naruto could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking deeply. Though, when Sasuke finally spoke, what he said wasn't what Naruto had expected.

The Uchiha smirked. "I'm glad I finally got you away from all those women. You start thinking and acting more and more like _Naruto_ everyday." He paused for a second. "As for the baby issue, who really gives a fuck what the elders think? If they don't like it we can always just leave Konoha. There are plenty of other places we could live. Plus we have too many friends here, too many people in power to back us up if we need it. Like Tsunade. She doesn't look like much but she _is_ the Hokage… and no, I really don't think our baby will have fur and claws."

Naruto sighed. "People keep reminding me of Tsunade being Hokage a lot lately. And Kyuubi says the baby will be normal." He stopped for a moment and smiled widely at Sasuke. "You know you keep using the words "us" and "we" a lot. Does this mean you finally believe me now?"

Sasuke squirmed with that thought for a moment, then gave an elusive shrug. Naruto laughed. "I'm glad," he continued. He paused shortly before speaking again. "There was also something else I was wondering about, Sasuke. …You said I could decorate my room however I wanted it right?"

Sasuke had looked suspicious at first, but now only shrugged and looked unconcerned. "Sure."

"Do you care if I use paint?"

"If you want to. I guess there's nothing better to do around here."

Naruto grinned up at him.

And so that's how Naruto ended up painting his room that very next day. After all, he'd like to have gotten started before his belly grew any more and he became completely immobile…. Naruto had wanted to go into town and _buy _paint, but Sasuke had happened to remember a closet in the mansion where his family had always kept such things, and before he knew what was going on, Naruto was knee deep in cans of every color paint ever made. Or at least that's what it seemed like to him, anyway.

Sasuke helped move the furniture out of the bedroom placed them into one of the rooms nearby so that Naruto wouldn't have to breathe the paint while he slept. The strong smell of the paint wouldn't be good for the baby.

And so, Naruto stood in the middle of his new bedroom, a layer of old, thin blankets under his feet to keep the paint from dripping on the floor, and wearing old clothes that he was growing out of already. He was surprised when Sasuke volunteered to join him. The Uchiha didn't even care about getting paint on his usual everyday clothes.

"So what were you thinking?" the raven haired boy asked as he stared around at the blank walls.

"Hm…. Well, I don't really care what as long as it's _something_. These walls are too white. I don't like being surrounded by white walls. I just want to make this room a little more… like home." He glanced over at Sasuke, his heart suddenly pounding. He had just referred to the mansion as his home. What if Sasuke didn't like that? What if Sasuke didn't want him to live in the same mansion forever? What if once the bad guys were dead and the baby was born, Sasuke was going to make him move back into his old apartment? "Are you sure this is alright with you?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sasuke seemed to read his mind. "Of course. We can finish moving your other belongings up here, or sell them, whichever you want, and then we can move you out of that place for good. Or were you not planning on making the move permanent?"

Naruto smiled, but stared at the floor, blushing shyly. "That sounds like a really good plan," he told Sasuke quietly. The Uchiha avoided looking him in the eye.

"Well," Sasuke said with a sigh, "let's get started shall we?"

And so they dug into the different colors of paint. There were all kinds of shades and even textures; in fact, the only color that seemed to be missing was pink. Naruto said something about it. "Why? Did you really _want_ pink paint for your room?" Sasuke asked. "Uchiha's weren't and _aren't_ fond of the color. Somehow, it just doesn't shine so well on our pride."

Naruto laughed. "I can imagine."

Well, they finally came down to the decision to paint the room blue. Deep blue, somewhere in between what one would consider dark and light. It was the perfect shade of blue, and matched Naruto's eyes almost exactly. They popped open the bucket of paint and got down to work, but a mere thirty minutes or so into the job, Naruto's brush slipped and splattered Sasuke with paint. Despite himself, Naruto couldn't help but laugh. Sasuke looked so silly with blue paint all in his hair and on his face.

Sasuke sighed and wiped his face, which only smeared the paint and made it worse, leaving behind blue streaks running down his cheeks. The Uchiha seemed to realize this a little too late, and with a frustrated sigh, attempted to wipe the already dry substance off his hand and onto his shorts. "I'm so sorry," Naruto said helplessly, still trying to hold back the laughter.

"And yet you think it's funny."

"I'm sorry," he apologized more seriously this time. He hoped he hadn't pissed Sasuke off too much. Suddenly, though, something wet hit his own face. Sasuke was smirking at him. Naruto huffed, seeing the blue paint that would take forever to get out of his blonde hair. "No fair," he complained. "I didn't get this much on _you_. Plus when _I_ did it, it was an accident."

"Who's to say it wasn't an accident when I did it?" Sasuke asked, still smirking.

Then it was on.

Despite all the things they had been through in the past few months, and despite the fact that they had finally come to a kind of truce of sorts, Naruto and Sasuke had not yet quite lost their passion for fighting with one another.

They ended up having an all-out paint war, using all the kinds of different colors. It came to the point that they were actually tossing full buckets of the stuff at one another, usually missing and hitting the walls, and even the ceiling. It was almost an hour later when they collapsed, both laughing - Naruto more so than Sasuke. They were both absolutely drenched, and it would take an eternity to get it all off, but that was okay. The fun had been worth it.

Also, both of them were surprised to discover that they were completely out of paint. They had used every single bucket in their little fight, so it was a good thing that most of the white spots on the walls were covered with random splashes of the stuff. All in all, it didn't look half bad. Plus, now that every time Naruto was just beginning to fall asleep, he could look around at the colorful walls of his room and remember the time that he and Sasuke had shared. Call him sentimental, but that's what being a woman had done to him.

"We could always buy more paint tomorrow and fix it," Sasuke commented. When Naruto looked at him he laughed again. The Uchiha had become a colorful rainbow of delight. Like the walls, he was absolutely covered in blue, red, orange, yellow, green, purple, black… the list went on and on.

"That's alright," Naruto replied. "I like it this way. I can sleep in that other room for a few days until the smell isn't so strong… but right now I just need to take a bath." He laughed. "We are such a mess."

"Yeah, you're right. Come on, I'll take you to the Uchiha bathhouse. We don't need to go to the public ones; you'd have to go in with the other girls and then you'd just be staring at them all." Naruto grinned innocently.

So, they went to the bathhouse. Sasuke refused to bathe at the same time as Naruto; not that the Kyuubi boy had insisted it or anything. Most of the paint came out when he scrubbed, but by the time Naruto was finished his hair still felt all grungy and his skin felt… funny. Like gravel whenever he touched something. Needless to say, he spent extra time and care cleaning himself, and also cleaned much more vigorously than he usually would have.

It was Sasuke's turn next, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the other guy one more time. By now the paint all over his body had dried up and cracked, peeling whenever he moved. Sasuke scowled at Naruto the best he could as he headed for the bathhouse.

And so, Naruto was given some time alone for the first time in what seemed like ages. Alone, in this big mansion. As he sat on his bed, he couldn't help but think of Itachi -even though he knew Itachi was dead- and how he had killed Sasuke's family in this very house, all those years ago. Then Naruto's thoughts wandered back on the guy who had pushed him down those stairs, and the evil he had felt. This was a _big_ house. Anybody could be hiding anywhere. And Sasuke was out in the bathhouse.

Naruto jumped up from his bed and walked slowly from his room to the living room of the mansion, jumping at every shadow. He had thought that finally being alone for a time would be a relieving moment of peace, but now that he had that time, Naruto was more afraid for his baby's safety than ever. It was like he had said to Hiashi - he couldn't protect his own unborn child, especially not in the condition he was in. He hadn't trained in months, and he was four months pregnant. The baby was draining him of all chakra. What could he do if faced with the evil that had pushed him down those stairs?

And so, Naruto did the only thing he could think of _to _do; he ran for the bathhouse, hugging his belly protectively.

Naruto didn't enter the bathhouse when he got there. He sat himself in the grass and waited for Sasuke outside, trying his hardest to watch the mansion and his surroundings all at the same time. The sun was setting. He knew it would be worse in the dark.

When Sasuke finally came out nearly an hour later, he was obviously surprised at seeing Naruto huddled up against the wall of the bathhouse. "Naruto?" he asked cautiously. The sky was darkening. Naruto was afraid. He had tried to remember what Hinata had said about stress being bad for the baby, but he just couldn't help himself. He had had a good long hour to think about his situation, and he had only grown even more frightened with every minute. During that long hour, Kyuubi had kept trying to get him to calm down, but Naruto had paid no more attention to the fox than he would have an ant on the ground. Slowly, he raised his head and looked up at Sasuke. He knew his own eyes were wide and troubled. Sasuke stopped in mid-step, glancing toward the mansion. "Did something happen?" he asked.

When Naruto wouldn't answer, the Uchiha leaned down in front of him, bringing their faces close together. "Are you okay?" he asked. He seemed more curious than concerned, but that was just Sasuke being Sasuke.

Naruto looked down and sighed. "Nothing happened," he said quietly. "I just got scared, being in that big house all by myself. I haven't been alone in a month." He bowed his head even lower. "I didn't like it."

Sasuke stood up again, and seemed unsure of what to do next. Finally he sighed. "I won't leave you alone for that long again, I promise. Now come on. If something - anything - had entered the mansion, I would know about it. Especially if it was anything unwelcome. Nobody gets in or out without my knowing." Naruto looked up at him questioningly. How could Sasuke possibly know that? "I'm an Uchiha remember? We have our ways."

If he had smirked or smiled in any way, Naruto probably wouldn't have believed him, but the look on Sasuke's face and the sound of his voice were both completely serious. With a sigh, Naruto stood, surprised when Sasuke slipped a hand in his own for the second time in two days. Hand-in-hand, they walked together toward the mansion.

Naruto hoped Sasuke knew that being a woman made him just as emotional as one, because if not, the Uchiha would probably get extremely pissed off very quickly at having to deal with little things like this all the time. Halfway across the yard, Naruto spoke. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Did I do something wrong?"

Sasuke glanced at him form over his shoulder. "No," he replied simply. "You have every right to be afraid. Someone's still out to get you, and your… _our…_ baby. I shouldn't have left you unprotected that long. Paint comes out eventually, but I can't replace the baby… or you." The last two words came out as a near whisper that made Naruto's eyes water with tears.

What Sasuke had said hit Naruto hard. That Sasuke had cared enough, and was willing, to admit such a thing… even to Naruto, who he still saw as a pregnant giggling girl… it was more than he had thought could ever happen. Naruto squeezed the other boy's hand lightly.

_I love you too, Sasuke._

* * *

The next week or so passed uneventfully. For the most part they stayed in the mansion together. Sasuke still trained every day though, and it was something that was hard for Naruto to watch, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to join him. Most of the time, Naruto would sit and read a book, somewhere out in the sun. Who knew that the Uchiha's would have their own library? They even had Icha Icha Paradise, which was disturbing. _They were probably all Itachi's,_ he thought with a little chuckle. But then again, you never know. Naruto had never really thought much of books before, but now that he had nothing better to do, they were like a savior to him.

Eventually, he and Sasuke were paid a visit by Iruka. Naruto couldn't help but be thankful that it was him and not Kakashi. But then again, Iruka and Kakashi certainly did have an unusually close relationship….

Sasuke was training - with his shirt off, one might add - and Naruto was sitting nearby with a protruding belly, reading his book and stretched out in a lawn chair. He felt awkward with his steadily growing stomach already, and knew full well that he had much more growing to do yet. He knew he would have to go shopping for bigger clothes sometime soon, perhaps with Sakura or Hinata or Ino… if they could spare the time of course. God knows _Sasuke_ wouldn't want to come along. He avoided shopping as much as he could, though he had already gone to the grocery store for Naruto once that week - Tsunade had apparently given the Uchiha strict instructions on how Naruto's diet should be throughout the pregnancy.

When Naruto finally noticed Iruka strolling up to them, he jumped up from his seat - the best he could, anyway - and rushed over to his former teacher. "Iruka-sensei, is there any news?"

Sasuke had stopped what he was doing and came over to join them. Naruto couldn't help but notice the sweat all over the other boy's bare chest and stomach. He blushed brightly and tried to keep his eyes off the Uchiha.

"Unfortunately no," Iruka replied to Naruto's previously asked question. "It's kind of embarrassing to say that we've been searching for over a month and still haven't found any clues as to who this guy is. Not even the picture of the symbol is helping much. It's like this guy doesn't even exist."

Naruto's hopes sank. Not that he hated the new life he had started with Sasuke by making this mansion his home… it's just, he wanted the guy who had wanted so badly to kill his baby to finally be brought to justice. He, Naruto, wanted to bring that guy to justice _himself._ But that was hardly possible at the rate things were going.

"Actually, that's why I dropped by," Iruka continued. He lowered his voice, but didn't lose eye contact with them. "Tsunade is thinking about calling it quits for now. We're not getting anywhere with this, and she wants to give it up."

"Give it up?" Naruto demanded in alarm. "Why?! How can she do that? I've got my baby to think about! I've got my _life_ to think about!"

"Naruto, stop freaking out," Sasuke said, firmly putting a hand on one of Naruto's arms. And for a moment, just a moment, he sounded like the old Sasuke again - Naruto half expected him to call him 'dobe.' "Don't you get it? Tsunade has a plan." Naruto blinked in surprise at that. "Tsunade wants to give up the search because if we do that, eventually this guy will come to _us_."

Iruka nodded at that. "Very good Sasuke. Yes, it's true. That's exactly what we want."

" 'What you want?' " Naruto quoted. "But that means… that means putting _me_ in danger!"

Iruka was already shaking his head. "You won't be in any danger at all. You'll have Sasuke here to protect you." As if to confirm that, Sasuke lightly squeezed the grip he had on Naruto's arm, then his hand loosened and became more comforting. "And the rest of Konoha as well," Iruka added. "When this guy turns up, we'll put him in a bag and send his sorry ass packing."

Sasuke and Naruto both started in surprise and stared at the man. "Iruka-sensei," Naruto whispered, half in awe. "I've never heard you talk like that before."

Iruka sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry guys. Kakashi's fault really. He cusses like goodness-knows-what, and it's been a long night."

Naruto looked up to the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "When was the last time you slept?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. I didn't get any sleep last night, I know that much."

"What were you doing last night?" Naruto asked curiously.

Iruka coughed uncomfortably. "Uh… that's not important."

"Were you with Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka blushed a bright pink, and Naruto grinned. Sasuke looked half disgusted, half horrified.

"Is it that obvious?" the man muttered under his breath and rubbing the back of his neck. He cleared his throat. Louder, he said, "Anyway, I just dropped by to tell you our plan, but now I have to go."

Sasuke nodded, and when Naruto asked he said it was alright for him to walk with Iruka around to the front side of the house if he wanted. On the way 'round, Naruto asked, "You really care about Kakashi-sensei, don't you?"

Iruka blushed again, and avoided Naruto's eyes. "Yes," he finally answered. "Very much."

Naruto grinned. "That's good."

" 'Good?' " Iruka turned to him.

"Yeah, it's no big deal. I mean, look at mine and Sasuke's relationship."

Iruka chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"So, does Kakashi-sensei feel the same way, about you?"

Iruka's eyes were on the ground, and he seemed lost in his own thoughts. "I don't know."

"You should ask him," Naruto replied thoughtfully.

"Ask him?"

"Yeah. It's not that hard. I'm sure he'd be glad to give you an answer." Naruto grinned again. "Everything will turn out alright Iruka-sensei. I'm sure he feels the same way you do. All you have to do is ask."

Iruka look surprised, but then smiled. "You're right. Thank you Naruto."

"Eh, 's not a problem."

* * *

Naruto finally moved back into his original bedroom, the one with the paint splattered all over the walls. He was glad for it too. He liked to think about that day that he and Sasuke had had together. Then, after getting all the furniture back into the room, Sasuke suggested that he himself move into the bedroom just across the hall. "We'd have to get rooms closer together sometime soon anyway. I'll have to be somewhere near, even at night now. The guy that tried to kill the baby... if he's going to come to us that means he's going to try to get to you first. ...I don't feel comfortable being halfway across the mansion from you every night."

Naruto nodded. He understood exactly what Sasuke meant. Too many times had the Kyuubi boy dreamed of the killer standing over him in his own bed with a kunai at his throat. Naruto didn't want to be so far away from Sasuke at night so that the other boy wouldn't even be able to hear him scream. Too many times had Naruto waken up crying and heart pounding, wishing Sasuke were near but too afraid to cross the mansion to the other boy's room.

Little did Naruto know that Sasuke had lost just as much sleep for much the same reason.

After all the moving around and getting settled into their new bedrooms, Naruto happened to look into a mirror and decided it was definitely time for a new wardrobe. His clothes were all skin tight, some of them even worse than that and not fitting at all. It had taken a full four months for this kid in his belly to start growing, and now that it had started it hardly seemed able to stop.

So, Naruto and Sasuke went out looking for the girls of Konoha. It wasn't too hard to find them. Sasuke left once Naruto was safely in the hands of Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and TenTen. Naruto sighed heavily. He could already tell that this was going to be a very long day.

And so it was. After shopping for maternity clothes, the girls absolutely _insisted _on taking him shopping for baby clothes next. Naruto agreed that this was necessary, he just wasn't sure if it was necessary to be doing so _soon_. He was still a few months away from giving birth. And _that _was something he didn't even want to _think_ about at this point. He'd be glad to get this child out of him and bring it into the real world, but giving birth still did not sound very fun, judging by what Sakura and the other girls told him about it.

So, he went home to Sasuke with bags upon bags of clothing; for himself _and_ for the baby. They stored all the baby clothes in a room nearby that they had decided would be the baby's room. Or at least, it would be whenever Naruto and Sasuke decided that the baby was old enough to sleep without one of it's parent's by it's side. All the other clothes went into Naruto's room, and on his back as well. These were _much_ more comfortable than the others he had been wearing.

Also, Naruto learned with surprise that while he had been gone away on his shopping trip with the girls, Sasuke had brought up the rest of his belongings from the apartment. His things were in another room of the mansion for now, but Sasuke said that whatever Naruto wanted could be put into his room the next day. Naruto thanked him and went to bed.

* * *

It was raining outside.

Naruto lay flat on his back, his belly jutting out largely. It was like a balloon filled with too much air; he felt as if about ready to pop. The Kyuubi boy lay listening to the rain pound on the roof and beat on the windows, and to the thunder rolling overhead. Occasionally a flash of lightning would light up the whole room like daylight. Naruto knew that if he were in trouble, Sasuke would never hear him scream over the loud noise of the storm.

Naruto was just considering getting up and crossing the dark hallway to Sasuke's room when another flash of lightning revealed a shadow that shouldn't have been there; a shadow in the odd shape of a man, lurking in one corner of the room. Naruto froze. He couldn't move, he couldn't make a sound. Without the lightning the room was pitch black, and he couldn't see a thing. With the next flash, Itachi Uchiha was standing above him on the bed, a kunai in hand. "It's time to deliver the baby," the man cackled. No, not a man- a demon.

Naruto screamed as Itachi plunged the weapon into his belly.

* * *

Naruto sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily, eyes wide and alert. It wasn't raining outside. Itachi was not standing over him. The room was not pitch black - it was lit up with moonlight streaming from the window - and there was not a mysterious shadow in the corner of the room. And also, his belly was not yet the size of a house. Shaking all over, Naruto realized then that he had kicked the blankets off into the floor, and he quickly snatched them up. It was a foolish and girly thing to do, to cover his sweating self with the blankets for protection and just lie there, heart pounding, but he was so terrified that he could hardly even move.

Experience had taught Naruto that no matter how many times you had a similar sort of dream, it was never any less real or terrifying. Unable to do much else in the state he was in, Naruto curled up and tried to hold back tears of fright.

That was when he heard the doorknob turning, and the door to his room creak as it slowly swung open. His breathing became heavier, tears began to flow. He prayed to god, any god. He heard the click as the door closed again. Half of him wanted to uncover his face and look at what was now in the room with him, the other half just wanted to hide and not know or care.

A decision was soon made for him though, because the covers were jerked away from him. Naruto screamed, covering his face with one hand and his belly with the other. A hand reached out and grasped him firmly by the arm, and someone hushed him. When Naruto opened his eyes he found Sasuke standing where he had half been expecting to see Itachi, even knowing that Itachi was long dead.

Naruto didn't think. He jumped out of bed and clung to Sasuke like a frightened child, unable to stop himself from trembling so hard. "Don't let him take the baby, Sasuke," he cried. "Don't let Itachi take the baby."

Sasuke, after a moment of stunned silence, put his arms around Naruto and rubbed a hand through his blond hair, allowing him to cry on his shoulder for the time being. "Itachi is dead," Sasuke finally said. "You don't have anything to worry about."

Sasuke was finally able to get Naruto to lay back down and cover up. Naruto was still a little shaken, but he had stopped crying, and his heart wasn't pounding so hard. "I'm going to be right across the hall," Sasuke told Naruto as he stood to leave.

Naruto shot up like a bullet and grabbed the Uchiha's sleeve. "In the name of all things holy Sasuke don't leave me alone again!" he cried.

A moment's hesitation, and Sasuke turned back. "Alright," he replied quietly, and promptly began crawling beneath the covers with Naruto. Naruto slipped into the Uchiha's arms and didn't dream again once the entire night.


	13. Twins

_**Disclaimer:**__ of course, I do not own Naruto _

**A/N:** _To those of you who have remained unwaveringly devoted to this story the whole time I've been writing it, thank you for everything…. The reviews and all that, not to mention staying faithful even when I have all these dratted periods of writers block, I'm trying my hardest to make this story worth it. Anyway, after some very nerve-wracking months of frustration, here is chapter 13._

* * *

"Twins."

"What?" Sasuke and Naruto both snapped. A week had passed uneventfully in Konoha, and early that morning Tsunade herself had come pounding on the door of the Uchiha mansion. When a very grumpy and very pregnant Naruto came to answer the door - after being so rudely awaken by Tsunade's persistent pounding - he had been surprised to see the Hokage herself standing there with a cigarette in one hand and a medical bag in the other. The woman had dark rings around her eyes from either stress or loss of sleep, or possibly a combination of both.

She had barged in without the slightest explanation, and had demanded Naruto to lay on his back on the couch and pull his shirt up. She fretted about him needing a check-up, and grudgingly apologized for not being by earlier for it. "'S alright," Naruto said once he had the chance to intervene her ranting. A weary eyed Sasuke had come into the room then, shuffling in like an old man with a cup of coffee in one hand. Naruto had stared in stunned silence from where he lay on the couch.

The Kyuubi boy had never before seen Sasuke with such bad posture or dragging his feet the way he was. The Uchiha seemed to be moving in a half-daze, his eyes drooping lazily. Naruto realized with a start that the boy was also still in his pajamas. Sasuke _never_ left his room with his pajamas on, especially not when it meant risking someone seeing him like that. Very rarely had Naruto himself even seen Sasuke in his sleeping clothes, and now here the boy was walking around in front of the Hokage with them on. Naruto blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust so that he could take in all of Sasuke's appearance.

The Uchiha's hair was an absolute mess; it was painfully obvious that he had just woken up. There were rings almost as dark as bruises around his eyes, and he was slumped over as if about to fall on his face at any moment. Naruto wondered why Sasuke had been losing so much sleep.

Sasuke gave Naruto a sleepy smile as he approached and sat himself on the floor cross-legged next to the Hokage, who's only reaction was to eye him warily. The smile Sasuke had given was another even more unusual thing about him that morning though, so Naruto didn't reply. It was _then_ that Tsunade made her announcement about twins.

"There are two sources of chakra in that belly now," she said simply. "Twins." She sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead. "Just something else to add to the list of things to worry about." _Well,_ Naruto thought with a small sigh of his own, _at least that explains a few things._ He and Sasuke had began to wonder; once Naruto's stomach had finally started expanding, it seemed unable to stop, as if trying to make up for all those months without showing.

Abruptly sitting up a little straighter, as if remembering something important, Tsunade began packing her doctoring instruments and such back into her bag. Her hands moved faster than Naruto's brain could keep track of that early in the morning, and with a flash or two everything was put away and two bottles of pills lay next to the couch. Tsunade put her finger on the one to Naruto's left as he sat up and pulled his shirt back down to cover his overstuffed belly. "This one you take in the morning everyday. The other-" she put her finger on the one to the right "-you take every morning _and_ night. Got it?"

Naruto nodded and reached down for the little bottles, bending awkwardly over his seemingly huge midsection; but before his fingertips even touched the bottles, Sasuke had already snatched them up. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama," Sasuke said to the woman as she stood. Tsunade seemed a little caught off guard by that at first - Sasuke had never regarded her as "sama" before - but she quickly masked her surprise and nodded to him seriously before heading out the door. She didn't even say goodbye.

Naruto and Sasuke sat staring at one another in silence for a moment, neither of them willing to make the first move. Finally, Naruto exhaled loudly. "Twins," he breathed. The Kyuubi boy noted quickly that Sasuke seemed half asleep from his position on the floor. The Uchiha looked up tiredly, and stood. Leaving his cup of now cold coffee and the two bottles of pills on the floor, Sasuke plopped himself down next to Naruto and sighed heavily. "Twins," he said, echoing Naruto. He stretched then.

Slowly, Naruto leaned back so that one of Sasuke's arms was wrapped around his shoulders. Instead of getting upset at this, the Uchiha seemed to take comfort in it, and allowed Naruto to rest against him. The position they were in was awkward due to Naruto's damn belly, but other than that, it was pleasant to be so close to one another.

Sasuke sat, reminiscing. "Does it all ever just… sneak up on you?" he half whispered. Naruto looked up at him, his expression questioning. "I mean, everything that's happened in the past few months. Do you ever just sit and take it all in at once? Doesn't it ever… overwhelm you at all?"

Naruto considered him carefully before answering. "You're tired Sasuke," he replied, his blue eyes gazing up at the Uchiha in concern. "Why haven't you been sleeping well?"

Sasuke frowned at this reminder. It was true though, he _had_ been losing a lot of sleep lately. He hadn't admitted it to Naruto yet, but recently he hadn't been feeling well. He would be sitting in his room, or lying in his bed, and suddenly his whole body would go rigid. Then he would begin to have little spasms all over, as if his muscles were rippling. His whole body felt aflame, his blood literally felt like it was boiling in his veins. He would sweat immensely during these periods. Finally though, at the end, every tense muscle in his body would abruptly relax, and he would sit there, breathing hard and suddenly exhausted.

Sasuke wasn't sure what brought on these attacks - they cam on quite unexpectedly - but he hoped that he would never be in such a state around Naruto. There were several reasons why Sasuke had not yet told Naruto about these moments of weakness; and the first one was simply that, as an Uchiha, he hated admitting he was weak. Secondly, he didn't want to worry Naruto; the Kyuubi boy surely didn't need any more stress at this point in his pregnancy. Finally, and probably most importantly, Sasuke didn't want to put Naruto in a position where he would be totally useless. If an attack snuck up unexpectedly on Sasuke with Naruto around, the Kyuubi container would be unable to do anything to help him. Sasuke felt that seeing Naruto feel so helpless would only make the situation that much worse.

So, a little grudgingly despite everything, Sasuke stayed silent about it.

"Just a lot of bad dreams," he said, shrugging off Naruto's concern. Judging by the look on his face, Naruto obviously didn't believe it.

"Bad dreams about what?" he persisted.

"Just... bad."

Sasuke refused to elaborate after that.

The rest of the day passed pretty inconsequentially. Sasuke trained, fighting his exhausted body so that Naruto wouldn't suspect anything was wrong, and Naruto sat in his usual place in the shade intently reading a book. Sasuke would glance over from time to time, and his screaming muscles would, for a time, resent the pregnant Kyuubi boy. Finally, Sasuke abandoned his training and went inside to clean up a bit. Naruto, who was content right where he was, stayed in the chair with his nose in the book. When Sasuke came back out, Naruto allowed him to squish into the chair with him, and Sasuke dozed with Naruto in his arms.

Later, after dinner, Sasuke was resting on the couch that Tsunade had been examining Naruto on earlier. "Don't forget to take your medicine," the Uchiha reminded Naruto, who was sitting nearby, still reading.

"I know," the Kyuubi container replied distantly after a moment's hesitation. Obviously his mind was on the book, and he probably hadn't even heard what Sasuke had said.

"Must be a pretty interesting book," Sasuke commented.

After another moment, Naruto looked up and asked, "huh?"

Sasuke snickered and sat up. "Forget it. I'll get your pills."

"Oh," Naruto replied, understanding crossing his face even as he turned back to his book.

Sasuke went into the kitchen and reached up to grab the bottles he had put in the cabinet earlier. Just then, the muscles in his arms stiffened, and his eyes widened as he realized what was happening. A dozen thoughts ran through his mind at once. The first was that he couldn't let Naruto find out. The second was that his arm hurt. Also, he realized that if he fell, it would make too much noise, and then Naruto would surely come to the kitchen to see what was going on.

However, Sasuke only had that split second to think, because in that instant, the rest of the muscles in his body tightened, and in the next, he was on the floor, sweating and convulsing. He heard his own voice, moaning and grunting in pain. It felt like his body was on fire, and he had no control over his own limbs as they trembled violently at his sides.

"Sasuke!" Suddenly Naruto was there, and he rushed to his side. "Sasuke! What's happening?"

But Sasuke could not hear Naruto, and he could not see Naruto. His eyes had rolled up into the back of his head, and he couldn't even think past the pain. Then, abruptly, it all stopped. Sasuke lay, breathing hard on the floor, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

* * *

"Sasuke!" Naruto breathed with relief when Sasuke's spasms finally stopped and he could see the Uchiha's eyes again. Sasuke's breathing was heavy, and his body was covered in sweat. "Sasuke, what's going on?" Naruto's voice still shook slightly with fright. "Sasuke. Sasuke? Sasuke! Why aren't you answering me?" Naruto couldn't hold back the tears. Sasuke seemed conscious, and yet he would not speak. Naruto shook Sasuke, but it was a futile attempt.

Then Sasuke blinked. Twice. And a confused expression crossed his face. His eyes widened slightly, then a little more, then a lot. The Uchiha sat straight up, and without even looking Naruto's way, he ran back to the living room. "Sasuke!" Naruto followed the Uchiha, and found him putting on his shoes by the door. "Sasuke, where are you going?"

"I have to go," the other boy said, and the tone of his voice was firm. Whatever he had decided to do, he was determined to go through with it.

"What are you saying? You're sick!"

That was when Sasuke finally looked at him, and something seemingly struck the other boy. The expression on Sasuke's face was one that Naruto had never seen him make before, but it was obvious that the Uchiha was in pain. "Naruto," he started. "I have to go."

"You can't just leave me here!" Naruto cried, grabbing Sasuke by the arm.

"I'll send for Kakashi-sensei to come watch over you. I know he's in town; he just got back yesterday."

"But Sasuke-!"

"No!" Sasuke snapped. Then he spun, and pulled the blonde up into his arms. Taken by surprise, Naruto couldn't even hug him back. "I'll be back soon, I promise." A quick kiss on Naruto's forehead, and Sasuke was out the door.

Kakashi showed up half an hour later with Iruka, and the silver haired man stood watch outside while Iruka comforted the pregnant Kyuubi container who was weeping bitterly on the living room floor. Naruto wondered, how many times would Sasuke leave him crying like this?

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I know it's short, and that was a bit unexpected, even to me. It's been such a long time since I updated, but at least I _am_ updating again, you know? Maybe you expected this chapter to be really long, I'm sorry it's not. I know it seemed kind of thrown together, but that's only because it's been a while since I've worked on it. I've already started on the next part, and you can definately expect it to be better._


	14. Search

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto_

_**A/N:**__ I'm loving the way this story is unfolding, and I'm loving even more the reviews I'm getting. _

_Anyway, here's chapter 14! ._

* * *

It was Sakura Haruno's turn to watch Naruto. At the moment, Naruto was sleeping, and Sakura was sitting in the kitchen of the Uchiha mansion, drinking coffee. Sasuke had given his permission for them to use the mansion freely, so that Naruto would not have to be moved at this point in his pregnancy. Sakura had a headache, and for the thousandth time that day she wondered, why had Sasuke left? He had informed Kakashi-sensei of something, something important, she was sure, but the silver haired man wouldn't speak a word about it. Sakura sighed heavily, and took another big gulp.

She was glad Naruto was sleeping. Not because she didn't like talking with him, but for another reason.

Naruto had become... somewhat like an empty shell in the days of Sasuke's absence. It had been two weeks already, with no word from the Uchiha who had so abruptly left, promising a short return. Naruto was five months pregnant now, and with twins, according to Tsunade. Despite the woman being so busy, she had watched over Naruto herself for three full days before handing the boy back into the oh-so capable hands of Sakura.

Sakura did not know how to handle this. She had been the one watching him for a week and a half already, _only _a week and a half,f but already she wanted to kill Sasuke for what he'd done. She knew that whatever it was he had to do must have seemed gravely important at the time, but didn't he realize how much strain this was putting on Naruto? Naruto missed Sasuke. He missed Sasuke so much that it pained Sakura's heart so deeply.

It hurt to watch Naruto. Everyday without any news, he wasted away a little more. He was obedient enough; he took his medicine without a fight, and ate when prompted, but he hardly slept, and whenever he did it was only because he had cried himself into exhaustion. Whenever Naruto cried was the only time he ever showed any emotion at all anymore; otherwise he'd just be sitting around, staring off into space, or at the floor most of the time. Sakura desperately wished that she could do something for the boy, but she hardly knew what.

She sighed again, and stood to get a refill.

Sakura had been surprised, but relieved, earlier that day when Naruto had suggested taking a nap. He had been sleeping for about three hours already, and Sakura had been checking up on him every thirty minutes or so. It was about time to check up on him again, she thought.

Sakura took her coffee with her as she crossed the huge mansion. Thankfully, Naruto's room was not so far away from the kitchen, and it was on the first floor so as to save him the pains of walking up and down stairs everyday. When she came to his room, the door was slightly open, as she had left it, and she pushed lightly against it. The door swung open a few inches, creaking loudly, but the sleeping Naruto did not stir.

Suddenly Sakura sensed that something was wrong. With a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, an idea - more like a suspicion - slowly formed in her mind. She crossed the short distance to the bed, and threw back the sheets. In Naruto's place was a large stuffed dummy with a big belly and black crosses for eyes, it's tongue lolling out of it's mouth. Sakura's coffee cup fell to the floor with a splash and a clatter. By the time the first drop hit the floor, Sakura Haruno was already long gone.

* * *

Naruto was five months pregnant, and stressed as hell. He had brought no food, no money, and he didn't have his medicine either. But still, he was determined. After a while of thinking long and hard about it, his _Naruto _way of thinking had finally overcome his _female_ way of thinking. Sadness had turned into anger, anger had turned into determination. And even though Naruto loved Sasuke very much, even though Naruto would do _anything _for Sasuke, he had every intention of skinning Sasuke alive the first chance he got.

That pigheaded Uchiha knew very well that he could not just run off and leave Naruto. That boy had known that he could not simply _abandon _him, at least not until the babies were born. But then, on the very day that they learned that Naruto was not having one, but _two_ babies, and just after Sasuke had gotten done thrashing about on the floor in the midst of a seizure, suddenly that stupid _ass_ decided to just jump up and _leave_!

The whole concept absolutely _disgusted _Naruto. And it was _that_ disgust that had led him to _this_ conclusion. He would find that bastard if it was the last thing he'd ever do! And if Sasuke weren't already dead by then, he'd kill him himself. Then he'd drag the body back to Konoha, and he'd hang it up somewhere nice and noticeable for the whole village to see. Then he'd take over the Uchiha mansion, and he'd have the babies his _damn _self. If Sasuke didn't want to be a responsible father for _their_ babies, that was just fine with him! Naruto never wanted to see him again anyway.

The only problem was... actually, the only problems_ were_, well... Naruto was five months pregnant, stressed as hell, with no food, no money, and no medicine. He wasn't very far past the walls of Konoha yet, and he was already exhausted. He wondered how long it would take Sakura to realize that he was gone. He had atually been there the first two times she had come to check up on him, but he had been far from sleep. It had taken a full hour and a half of lying there in bed like that for him to come to the conclusion that he would have to hunt down the Uchiha himself. The _first_ thing he was going to do when he saw Sasuke was cut off his balls and hang them on a tree!

Naruto was determined, and he _would_ find Sasuke.

* * *

Tsunade was up to her ears in papers to read, missions to assign, and complaints from locals. Everybody was going crazy these days! Ever since the attempted murder on "Ayako-chan's" life, Konoha had become total chaos. Tsunade didn't have enough time on her hands; there simply were not enough hours in the day for her to do her job and be human at the same time. Her life had been taken over by the role of Hokage. She hardly had time to sleep; she got maybe an hour or so every other night, which was bad enough. Also, she could never remember to eat; in the past month or however long it had been - she seemed to have lost track of time, as well - Tsunade had become accustomed to the feel of hunger. Sometimes, someone would think of her and bring her something to eat, but she was so busy that she never really saw who they were or ever even thanked them for it.

Then, one day, word reached her that Sasuke Uchiha had left the village, leaving behind a very pregnant and very unhappy Naruto Uzumaki. Tsunade did not have time for this, but Naruto's nerves were already practically shot from the pregnancy, and with this added on top of that, he was bound to break. Tsunade took three days, _three full days_, out of her schedule to watch over him, to care for him, to make sure that he was eating and sleeping well, and taking his medicine when he should, but then she was forced to come back to work. In those three days, the world had shrieked at her for her absence, and she had had no desire whatsoever to return to that world of chaos.

She had, in the end, left the poor pregnant boy in the hands of Sakura Haruno. Tsunade knew the girl quite well, and she knew that Sakura was more than capable of handling Naruto. Even with her busy schedule, Tsunade had asked for a full day-to-day report on how Naruto was doing. The boy had been, in fact, quite upset, to say the least. In the two weeks since Sasuke's departure, and with no word from the Uchiha, Naruto had begun to waste away. Tsunade worried - that is, in the time she had free to worry. So much strain on Naruto could push him into premature labor.

However, she was sure that Sakura could handle him.

It was one day, while musing the situation, that word reached her that Naruto Uzumaki had also fled Konoha. "That idiot!" Tsunade swore.

She immediately sent for every available ninja in the village.

* * *

Sakura had assigned herself a search team, and even though she had not formally gained the Hokage's consent, she was sure that Tsunade would approve. Once word had spread - and word spread quickly in the village of Konoha - she gained quite a considerably large team, and had had to split it into groups of three. With Sakura was Hinata and Tenten. Together, they explored to the north of Konoha. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were searching to the south, Kiba, Rock Lee, and even Might Guy - surprisingly - were to the east, and finally to the west were Neji, Kakashi, and Iruka. Sakura had been astonished at such a turnout, but she would accept any help she could get. Also, with Kakashi and Guy's help, they were able to order that no one be let out of Konoha. They had considered first consulting with the Hokage before giving such a command, but Kakashi claimed that they didn't have the time. It would take at least a full 24 hours to gain an audience with Tsunade, and even longer to send word to her that she needed to send out such an order and why.

Though Kakashi and others who had been her mentors at one point or another in the past were with them, Guy, Kakashi, and Iruka all allowed Sakura to take charge of the situation. They were _her_ team now. _She_ was the one who had been watching over Naruto at the time of his escape, he was _her_ responsibility; it was her job to find him.

Sakura hoped that Tsunade-sama would not be too vexed with her later for giving orders without the Hokage's permission, but for now, it was her own personal mission to find Naruto and bring him home. Otherwise, he might not survive. Sakura did not know how long he had been gone by the time she had realized it, but she was sure, however, that he was already hours ahead of her, and that gave him the advantage despite being pregnant as he was. Her team didn't have much time...

* * *

"This is it?" Tsunade demanded angrily, glaring at the few who had come to her office. "Where are Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy with his student Rock Lee, and Iruka Umino? Where on _earth_ is Sakura? I _know_ that there were more of you in Konoha, now where are they?"

One of the Jonin took a step closer to her desk. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, for being the bearer of bad news, but I've heard tell that Sakura Haruno was gathering a small team just outside of Konoha about an hour or so ago. Those you speak of went with her."

Tsunade, taken aback by the news, took a moment to consider it. _Sakura _would_ do something like that wouldn't she?_ the Hokage mused. _Of course, _I_ was the one who had assigned her to watch over Naruto. She'd almost see it as a direct order from the Hokage to look for him wouldn't she?_ The woman smirked. "Alright, well I see that's been taken care of for me. The rest of you, I want you to scour the entire village for any sign of Naruto Uzumaki. Some of you may know of him as Ayako. Blonde, pretty, and pregnant, you know who I'm talking about." Grunts and nods of agreement went around; they had each heard of the Kyuubi boy's peculiar condition.

Just then there came a knock at the door, and a young man rushed inside. He bowed awkwardly to Tsunade, and spoke. "Ah... Hokage-sama, something has happened that I thought you might want to be informed of. Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy have given strict orders not to let anyone out of Konoha. Some of the villagers are getting quite upset."

Tsunade looked gravely at the young boy for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. Finally she nodded and said, "Thank you." The tone of her voice left no room to doubt that it was a dismissal. The boy left.

It was only after he had left that Tsunade smirked in amusement. She had been about to give that very order herself. "Clever girl," she commented. Then she turned back to the ninja standing before her, and her voice took on a commanding tone. "You have your orders. Go!"

* * *

Naruto was just about to enter the next village when they found him, and he was almost glad for it anyway. Naruto had never been so exhausted in his life - or at least, so it seemed. His legs wouldn't move, his back hurt, and his feet already had a dozen blisters on them. Naruto remembered a time when he could have crossed the continent in just a few days and not once get as tired as this. Now it felt as though he were running with no chakra, no strength or energy left of any kind. He almost just wanted to lay down and die. Weariness had finally overcome the sense of determination to find Sasuke. The Uchiha was in perfect condition, and here Naruto was an absolute wreck. There was no way he stood a chance at finding him.

He was _just _about to lay down in the middle of the road and cry when suddenly Kakashi-sensei was there. It wasn't long before the others showed up as well. Sakura was the angriest. "Naruto Uzumaki," she said in a voice of steel. "Exactly what do you think you are doing?" Naruto took note of the fact that she was not being as hard on him as she normally might be. He wondered if he looked as hopeless as he felt.

On the verge of tears already, Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "I just wanted to find Sasuke," he told her. His eyes filled, and he silently cursed himself. He did not _want_ to cry. She had seen him cry enough already, and it was so _embarrassing_. Damn that Uchiha for knocking him up and then leaving him. Damn him.

Naruto's whole body was shaking, despite his efforts to get his emotions under control. He cleared his throat, but the tears spilled over, and he whimpered. If Sasuke could see him now, he would laugh. That was when Sakura took him into her arms. "It'll be alright, Naruto," she said quietly. "I'm sure that Sasuke will come home to you soon."

And since in Sakura's shoulder he could hide his face, Naruto silently let the tears fall.

* * *


	15. And The Days Go By

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto_

_**A/N:**__ Hm... the chapters keep turning out a little short now don't they? I'm not meaning for it, but hey, be glad I'm updating! _I'm_ glad I'm updating again. I was really starting to get frustrated with it. :)_

_Well, here's chapter 15. Enjoy._

* * *

Things soon became pretty routine at the Uchiha mansion. Another week had passed since Sasuke's departure, and all of Konoha was really beginning to wonder exactly where the Uchiha boy had gone and why. Naruto had hit a point where all he felt he could do was wait, and with nothing better to do, he was actually fairly patient about it. He knew, without knowing how he knew, that Sasuke would return to him. Yes, sometimes Naruto worried, and yes sometimes he got angry, but still he waited.

Despite his many efforts at trying to explain to them that he would most definitely _not_ be running away again any time soon, Naruto was now being put under constant watch. _Constant,_ constant watch. A set of eyes had to be on him _at all times_. It was really starting to get annoying, but he figured he had endured worse in the past, so surely he could endure this now.

Also, this free time gave him a chance to "hang out with his girl pals," as Sakura put it, but Naruto didn't really _want_ to be around his "girl pals." Of course, he was glad to see them whenever he got the chance, but right now, the only thing he could really think about was Sasuke.

Naruto had nightmares. Horrible nightmares. Even worse than the ones of Itachi cutting the babies out of his belly. He dreamt of Sasuke, having seizures on the floor, and screaming in terrible agony. And he had nightmares of Sasuke leaving. Naruto would be on the ground in the pouring rain, covered in blood from having his babies, which were both dead, and he would reach out toward the Uchiha, but Sasuke would only turn his back on him and walk away. And Naruto worried; was that to be his fate? For Sasuke to leave him bleeding, and for their babies to die?

Naruto felt sick every time he thought about it, but it was altogether possible that Sasuke was hurt, wherever he was. Or being tortured, or even dead already. Maybe Sasuke's mind or body was being controlled. Or maybe he just didn't care about Naruto anymore. Maybe he was sick. He _had_ been acting awfully strangely lately, before he left. But more importantly he wondered, where was Sasuke now, and what was he thinking about? Why had he even left Konoha and Naruto in the first place?

It was not _just_ his worry for Sasuke that was bothering him though. Stubbornly, Naruto sat in frustration, thinking of all the things gone wrong in his life. For example, he was five months pregnant, he was stuck in the form of a woman, physically _and_ emotionally, and also, he had a nine-tailed fox demon living inside of him and talking to him inside his head. Of course, that last was nothing new, but none the less, Kyuubi could get annoying as hell sometimes.

With all this on his plate, and Sakura wanted to have a _slumber party_ of all things. Naruto was exhausted at the very thought of it.

On the whole, however, the party actually turned out rather well.

Naruto went shopping with Sakura to buy food for the party guests - not to mention they were out of food at the mansion anyway. Afterwards, they went back to the mansion and set up for the party. After a while, the girls began to arrive, and each of them showed up one by one dressed in pajamas and with a sleeping bag tucked under one of their arms and a pillow under the other. Each of them grinned widely whenever he or Sakura answered the door.

Soon, they settled down in the living room with snacks and drinks, chatting idly about unimportant things. Naruto was happy to discover that he could forget about Sasuke for a little while, even if it were only to last a single night. He was also surprised to find that he really enjoyed being around the girls again. It was almost like old times, back when they had known him as just Ayako-chan, and before anyone had known that he was pregnant. It was actually rather nice.

Tenten was there, and Hinata as well, of course. Also, Ino was there, Kiba's older sister Hana was there, and even Hinata's little sister Hanabi as well. There were also other girls there who Naruto had never met before, but he was a bit surprised to find that they each knew him. Then he remembered that the whole village knew of him by now. All together, there were about a dozen or so of them there, including Naruto, and it seemed just the right amount; there were not so few of them as to make it anything less than an actual party, but there were not so many of them as to drive Naruto crazy.

They all slept in sleeping bags in the living room that night, despite the mansion having enough rooms for each of them to have a bed of their own. The next morning, they had a humongous breakfast of pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs of all kinds, biscuits, toast, cereal, and anything else the girls could possibly see as a breakfast food. Also, there were stranger foods served as well, such as potato chips, peanut butter sandwiches, and grilled cheeses. And Naruto, who felt like he deserved to be at least a _little_ spoiled, convinced one of the girls to sneak him some ramen without letting Sakura know.

On the whole, the little get together went rather well, and despite his initial discomfort toward the idea, Naruto found himself eager for another. Sakura noted the look on his face and commented, "That's the first time I've seen an actual smile in weeks. So I guess you had a good time?"

His smile warmed a bit. "Yes, actually, I did."

She rested a hand on his arm and said, "I'm glad."

They spent most of the rest of the day cleaning up the large mess all those girls had made the night before, and Naruto found that rather tiring, and it dampened his eagerness to have another party a bit. Once they were finally finished, Sakura insisted that Naruto needed to go clothes shopping again, seeing as the maternity clothes he had purchased not so long ago were already getting tight. Naruto, however, was completely exhausted, and after supper, Sakura allowed him to go to bed.

Before lying down to sleep, Naruto sat at the edge of his bed for a moment and glanced around at his multi-colored paint-splashed walls. He smiled at the memory of the paint fight, but shed a tear at the thought of Sasuke. He missed him so much. Why hadn't Sasuke contacted him yet, to at least say that he was doing alright?

For the first time in almost 24 hours, Naruto worried about the Uchiha, and the Kyuubi boy went to sleep that night with little nightmares already beginning to form in his mind.

* * *

Another week passed. Naruto was more impatient than ever. How could Sasuke do this to him? _How?!_ He found himself on the very verge of an emotional breakdown every moment of the day, but he supposed that was normal for a pregnant teenager, especially one who's boyfriend was missing. (However, Naruto _was_ slightly amused at the thought of referring to Sasuke as his _boyfriend_.)

Naruto was surprised that Sakura put up with him. The tiny pink haired girl endured his ranting and outbursts as calmly as she would if they were conversing about the weather or flowers or something. Naruto wasn't sure how she did it, but he was sort of glad she did; he didn't know where he'd be without Sakura there to support him. Sakura _did_ eventually make him go clothes shopping though, and it gave Naruto a headache, but in the end he was glad that they had gone; he really _had_ been outgrowing his clothes.

It was a few days later when Naruto began to yearn for company. He hadn't seen anyone other than Sakura since that slumber party, and he missed his other friends, like Rock Lee, and sometimes he even missed Kakashi. Sakura was surprisingly agreeable when he asked to have other people watch over him. She said that it was understandable, and she wrote to the Hokage about it. Both Naruto and Sakura knew that it might be a few days before Tsunade was able to write back, but they didn't mind, seeing as they had the time.

Three days later they received a letter from the Hokage saying that things had, thankfully, calmed down a lot in Konoha since the last time they had heard anything from her - she was actually getting _four_ hours of sleep a night rather than the usual one or two, and she even remembered to get something to eat every now and then. Tsunade also said that it was fine if Naruto wanted to trade Sakura in for someone else, seeing as how Kakashi and Guy didn't have as much to do anymore. Also, she suggested to write Hiashi if Naruto was really _that_ desperate for company. Sakura and Naruto wrote back, thanking her and saying that they were glad things were not as busy anymore, and also that Naruto would not mind if she wrote to Hiashi for him.

That very same day, none other than Kakashi Hatake himself stood in the doorway of the Uchiha mansion. When he held up his hand in the usual salute and greeted them with the usual, "Yo," Naruto actually hugged the guy. Kakashi stuck around for two or three days, reading his little orange books and pilfering all the food he possibly could from the kitchen and such, then Iruka took a day off teaching the younger students to be with Naruto. Together they laughed and talked like old times - even though Naruto's rough laughter had turned to inappropriate sort of giggles that even made Iruka wince every now and then.

Next to be his "babysitter" was Might Guy, who thankfully brought Lee along with him, and Naruto was actually able to sit and spend time with his old friend. Random outbursts and all, Naruto was glad for Rock Lee's company.

And finally, Hiashi watched over him. The man was as quiet and as serious as ever, but even so, Naruto was glad to have him around. Hinata came with Hiashi on his first day, just to say hello and chat for a while, then she left, and Naruto was allowed to sit in blissful silence and read a book. As was usual for him, Hiashi sat himself outside the front door, and Naruto was able to pick up the book he had stopped reading the day that Sasuke had left. Naruto realized with a start that that had been the last time he _had_ read a book, and now he didn't even really remember what this one was about. With a quiet little sigh, he flipped back to page one and started over.

Days flew by with still no word from Sasuke. Naruto's pregnancy was approaching six months, and yet his babies had no father to be here for them. Despite having friends over and more people to talk to, and despite the fact that things were calming down in Konoha, Naruto still worried. Sasuke was gone, and the Kyuubi boy hadn't yet forgotten that there was still a man out there somewhere who had, at one point, wanted his babies dead. Then one day Naruto put two and two together and began to fret that Sasuke's sudden disappearance might have something to do with the man who had wanted to hurt their babies.

The nightmares of Itachi returned with a vengeance, but this time they involved more of Sasuke being injured or killed rather than Naruto or Naruto's babies. Sakura, who still took a few turns watching over Naruto every now and again, wrote Tsunade about the nightmares, and the Hokage herself came to the mansion to give Naruto another check up. She said that everything was normal and that he was doing just fine, and also that this would continue as long as Naruto kept taking his medicine. She also gave him some different medicine to calm his nerves, in hopes that the nightmares would stop.

Not long afterward, other people started watching over Naruto, rather than Sakura or Kakashi or Guy. Now also was Ino, Hinata, Kiba, and even Neji. None of them really considered it so much as "babysitting," however, but more as just hanging out or talking. Naruto wondered, at first, what he and Neji would talk about, and why the hell the Hyuga would even _want_ to watch over Naruto in the first place, but it actually wasn't nearly as awkward as he'd thought it would be. Actually, it was much like having Hiashi there, except Neji kept his eyes open for rather long periods of time instead of keeping them closed half the time he was there, and Neji also stayed _inside_ the house, rather than sitting out by the door.

Hiashi was the one watching over him when finally Naruto finished his book. It was a cold night, seeing as it was the middle of autumn already, and there was a bright fire blazing in the huge fireplace in the living room. Naruto sat in a couch nearby, and when finally he finished the very last page, he set the book aside and stared into the flames, deep in thought about the things he had just read. Then he heard the door open and shut, and it was unusual for Hiashi to come inside the house while on watch, unless something had happened. Naruto stood to see who was at the door, seeing as it would have been awkward to turn himself around that far to look from where he was sitting.

And there he was; Sasuke Uchiha, standing there in the mansion.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, not bothering to hide his relief. He ran around the couch with the intention to give the Uchiha a hug - well, more like fly into his arms, really - but Sasuke's expression stopped him mid-step.

Sasuke's face was covered in dirt and blood, as was the rest of his skin. There was a small cut on one cheek, and a larger one on his left forearm that looked like it might need immediate attention. Those weren't the things that worried Naruto though. The boy's eyes were dead and far off, as if he weren't really all there. His movements - Naruto's brain had failed to register them before then - were slow and hesitant. Now that he was standing still, Sasuke barely moved at all, even to blink. He looked so… helpless.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto whispered quietly. He meant for his voice to come out evenly, but it cracked halfway through Sasuke's name. It had been so long since Naruto had seen him - he had dreamed of seeing Sasuke's face every night since he had gone, but it was not _this_ face Naruto wanted to see.... Sasuke just wasn't Sasuke at the moment.

The Uchiha's eyes were the only things that moved, and when they came to Naruto's face they filled with tears, and that shocked the hell out of Naruto, twisting a knife of pain in his gut. Sasuke's hurt was his own hurt, and he couldn't recall ever seeing Sasuke cry before. It took a moment to realize that tears had welled up in his own very wide-eyes.

"I know the killer," Sasuke whispered then. "I know who wants to kill our babies."

Naruto was speechless. Wasn't that a good thing? Why would Sasuke be so upset at that? Wouldn't the Uchiha normally be out there kicking bad guy ass instead of standing here before Naruto, crying of all things? Naruto took a reluctant step toward the boy, and without further explanation, Sasuke's body seemed to move on it's own. He practically stumbled into Naruto's arms - another painful fact; Naruto had never known Sasuke to stumble before, even when at his weakest.

Sasuke was sobbing - horrible, heart wrenching sobs of pain that Naruto had never imagined coming from the usually cool collective Uchiha. Naruto didn't press for Sasuke to explain. The only thing he was able to do at that moment was give a little distressed cry of his own, and hold Sasuke as close to him as possible. Sasuke continued to cry on Naruto's shoulders, and clung to his frail, pregnant body.

"It's _my_ fault," Sasuke whispered in despair. "It's all my fault…."


	16. Killer's Identity

_**Disclaimer- **blah blah I do not own Naruto blah_

_**A/N: **I am so happy I'm updating again!! There's a certain part in this chapter that I have been waiting to write ever since I started the story! I simply cannot wait for the next chapter, and I hope you all are as excited about it as I am._

* * *

Sasuke sat on the couch, his eyes unfocused as he stared at nothing. Naruto had asked Hiashi to go tell the Hokage that Sasuke had returned. Hiashi, however, was reluctant to leave. He eyed the dazed Sasuke warily and asked, "Are you sure that's wise? If somebody comes along, I'm not sure he will be able to protect you."

Naruto was shaking his head even before the man had finished speaking. "Sasuke will protect me no matter what. Everything will be fine."

So Hiashi left, and Naruto was alone with Sasuke and the silence. _What's wrong with him?_ he silently asked the Kyuubi.

_Something's shaken him,_ the fox demon replied seriously.

_What should I do?_

There was a moment's hesitation as the Kyuubi thought. _Talk to him._

Naruto crossed the room and sat next to Sasuke on the couch. "Sasuke?" he asked. The Uchiha didn't even blink. "Sasuke?" Naruto placed a hand on one of the boy's knees and shook slightly.

Slowly, Sasuke turned his way.

"What happened Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes fell to the floor in shame. "I'm sorry Naruto," he said very quietly. "I'm not a very good father."

Naruto shook his head. "That's crazy. You're the best father in the world."

"No, I'm not." Sasuke's voice was louder now, and full of defiance and self-pity. "I should have known he was alive. I should have known."

Of course, the first thing that came to Naruto's mind was Itachi, and he let out an explosive _whoosh _of breath. "What do you mean Sasuke?" he demanded, and his voice trembled. "Your brother?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. It's not Itachi. Someone else. Someone I should have taken care of long ago."

"Sasuke... tell me what happened. Why were you gone so long? Where did you go?"

But Sasuke wasn't paying attention. "I _knew _I recognized that symbol," he was muttering. "Why the hell did it take so long for me to figure it out?"

"Sasuke, you're scaring me. Please, tell me!" Naruto clung almost desperately to one of Sasuke's arms, and finally, the Uchiha looked at him, and actually seemed to _see_ him. Sasuke's expression was confused. "You haven't been getting much sleep lately." It was not a question. He rested a hand on Naruto's face, and rubbed a thumb under one eye. "Dark rings under your eyes. Have you been eating like you should, and taking your medicine?"

Naruto choked on something that was half laugh, half cry. "Sasukeee," he whined quietly. "This is no time to be worrying about me. _I'm_ fine, and so are the babies."

Sasuke smiled bleakly and said, "That's all that matters."

Sasuke refused to tell Naruto where he had been or what he had been doing in the past two months away from Konoha. The Uchiha had _just _fallen asleep when Tsunade walked in. "So it's true," she said when she first laid eyes on the sleeping Sasuke. "The great Uchiha has graced Konoha with his presence."

A bit grumpily, the Hokage opened up her medical bag - Naruto assumed she had heard of Sasuke's condition through Hiashi - and began to work on Sasuke's arm. "Naruto, bring me some hot water will you? And a few rags, too."

Naruto was allowed to wash Sasuke's grimy skin with a wet rag while Tsunade tended the boy's wounds. Sasuke himself sat in a half doze there in the firelight, and his eyes were glazed over whenever he had them open. Tsunade sighed as she finished stitching up his arm. "He should be alright," she informed Naruto. "But I don't think we can expect to get any answers out of him tonight. Let him sleep, and keep a close eye on him if you can. Hiashi is standing outside, and Kakashi is on his way. Our Avenger here will not be getting anywhere except for bed tonight. He needs his rest. In the morning, give him this." She pressed a small vile into Naruto's hand, and it seemed to be filled with a dark amber liquid. "Put it in his tea, and make sure he drinks every drop. He should recover most of his wits after taking that strong a dose, and then maybe he'll satisfy our questions with some answers."

The woman sighed again and stood, bidding Naruto farewell and telling him not to hesitate to call on her if they needed anything else that night. Then she left, and Naruto decided that it was about time to put Sasuke to bed. "Come on, Sasuke," he said as if he were speaking to a child. "It's time to go get some rest."

Sasuke leaned heavily on Naruto on the way to the bedroom, and he occasionally stumbled over his own feet. Naruto, being out of balance enough as is, had to draw on quite a bit of Kyuubi's chakra in order to get the Uchiha all the way to his bed.

Naruto had decided that, since Tsunade seemed to suspect that Sasuke might go running off again if out of sight for too long, Sasuke should sleep in Naruto's room with him for the night. Naruto wasn't about to take any chances. He let Sasuke strip to his boxers - his clothes were filthy and his pajamas were in a different room of the mansion - and then covered him up in the bed. As Naruto lay down next to the already snoring Sasuke, he took the other boy's hand, that way in case Sasuke woke up in the middle of the night, Naruto would know it.

Naruto was not the only one having the nightmares that night. Sasuke tossed and turned in his sleep, sweating and screaming and crying out. The raven haired boy kept repeating again and again, "He should be dead. He's supposed to already be dead." The only person Naruto could think of that he might be referring to was Itachi, but earlier Sasuke had said that it was _not_ Itachi. So then, who was it?

Finally, Naruto got out of bed. Trying to sleep was useless. Too much had happened in such a short period of time, and Sasuke just kept waking him up anyway. Naruto shuffled to the kitchen of the mansion to get a glass of milk, even though he was a bit reluctant to leave Sasuke's side for even a few minutes, then he came back to the room and sat by the moonlit window, reading a book he had picked from the library months ago and had forgotten about.

Naruto was about halfway through the book when the sun rose, and Sasuke Uchiha finally began to stir. The nightmares had ceased sometime during the night, but that had not convinced Naruto to go back to bed. Finally, Sasuke sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes and running fingers through his messy hair. When he saw Naruto reading by the window, and the sunlight dancing in on the hardwood floor, he smiled drowsily and yawned halfway through saying good morning. Naruto was suddenly so greatly relieved to have Sasuke home, he could have cried. Instead of crying, however, he returned Sasuke's good morning, and together they made their way to the kitchen for breakfast.

Sasuke was unusually quite that morning, but that was to be expected. The boy's mood was pensive, but he ate plenty and drank every bit of his tea - under the watchful eye of Naruto. Halfway through the meal, Kakashi Hatake came into the room, and severed himself a plate without asking permission first. He smiled happily at the two already sitting at the table, and added a massive amount of butter and syrup to his pancakes. "And how are the lovely couple doing this morning?" he asked sweetly. Sasuke frowned, but Naruto couldn't help but give a small smile. He knew that Kakashi was just trying to lighten the mood.

Even through his usual cheeriness, Kakashi also kept a sharp eye on Sasuke. Finally, Sasuke burst that the two of them "should stop watching him as if he were a time bomb about to explode." Naruto and Kakashi both kept their eyes on their plates after that.

When the plates were empty and the food was gone, Kakashi waved goodbye and left, while Sasuke and Naruto sat in a sort of awkward silence at the kitchen table. Finally the Uchiha sighed. "I supposed you have a few things to ask me, don't you?"

Naruto nodded slightly. "A few," he agreed.

"Well, I guess we might as well get it over with. Ask away."

Without any hesitation, Naruto jumped at the opportunity to start a conversation he had waited a full two months to have. "What happened that night? The night you left? Where did you go? And why were you having seizures?"

Sasuke gave another heavy sigh before answering, and slowly he filled Naruto in about the attacks he had been having before he left. "It hasn't happened since then," he finished. "I don't know why, but I'm glad."

Naruto gaped at him, feeling slightly hurt and betrayed. "Sasuke... you were sick, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to know. You couldn't do anything about it anyway."

"Still..." Naruto paused then, thinking. "You didn't say why you suddenly took off like that," he noted. "Why did you leave?"

"Because I remembered something," he answered with his eyes on the table. "That last seizure must have jogged my memory. I finally realized where I had seen that symbol, the symbol the killer left behind." He paused then for a moment, lost in thought once again. "Do you remember that last mission I went on Naruto? Just before my birthday?" Naruto nodded; he remembered. "I was supposed to find a man. He was a wanted assassin; he had killed somebody important in The Land of Lightning. The mission was to either capture him and bring him in, or to take care of him myself if taking him alive wasn't possible. I did find him, and he wouldn't come willingly. I tried to take him, but in the end I had to kill him. I thought I killed him. That symbol burned into the wall outside your apartment? He had a tattoo of it on the back of his neck. I caught a glimpse of it right before I took him out."

Naruto was more than a little shocked by Sasuke's tale. He had never considered anything like that a possibility at all. For a moment he let his mind wander, pondering over the situation. Finally Kyuubi prodded him to ask, "Are you sure it's the same guy? I mean, maybe he was working in a group or with a certain organization or something, and maybe that's their symbol."

Sasuke was already shaking his head. "No, it's definitely the same guy. The last I saw him, he was still alive. It was three days ago. I finally found him again. We fought; that's how I got this." He gently ran a finger across the mark on his cheek. "Last time I fought him I thought he had been easy to take out, but I was wrong. This time, he was working on a whole new level. I could hardly lay a single hit on him. If he really is working for an organization of some sort, I highly doubt that his trying to murder our babies was something that the rest of the group wanted him to do. He's the only one with reason to come after us, to hurt me any way he can. My suspicions tell me that he's working alone."

Naruto nodded. What Sasuke said made sense. But how could one who was once dead still be alive? "Are you sure you killed him the first time? I mean, was he _really_ dead?"

Sasuke nodded. "The first time we fought, he was definitely dead. His body was in pieces, Naruto. He _had_ to have been dead." The Uchiha's expression became slightly confused. "That's what I don't understand about this whole thing. He _was_ dead, but now he's alive. How is that possible?"

"I guess he wasn't really dead then," Naruto told him. They sat in silence for a moment, thinking. Naruto took the chance to really _look _at Sasuke for the first time since he'd been back. He looked a wreck. His hair was a mess, one could tell that he hadn't bathed in a while and that he hadn't been getting much food or sleep. Also, there was a deep, haunted look in his eyes that hadn't ever been there before, and Naruto knew that somewhere in Sasuke's heart he was blaming himself for the attempted murder on their babies.

Cautiously, Naruto slid his hand across the table and laid it on top of one of Sasuke's. Sasuke looked up at Naruto, his eyes slightly questioning. "It's not your fault you know," Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke's eyes lowered guiltily. "Yes it is, Naruto. It was my mission to take the guy out. _I_ was supposed to deal with him. Because I screwed up my mission... because I failed... we could have lost.... Naruto, look at how much pain this has caused everyone. Think about what we've been through since he tried to kill our babies. It's all because of me. It's all because I couldn't do the job right."

Naruto was almost in tears. Sasuke's berating tone, so different from his usual self-confidence, was almost too much for him to bear. "Sasuke don't say that," he said firmly. Sasuke looked shocked at fact that Naruto's eyes were full. "You can't blame yourself like this. If you're going to continue beating yourself up, how are you supposed to take care of the babies when they're born? How are you supposed to take care of them _before_ they're born? What's done is done, you couldn't do anything about what happened. For now, the babies are fine and so am I. What's important now is finding this guy again and taking him out. Then, life will go on. I promise."

Sasuke opened and closed his mouth several times, as if unsure of what he should say. Finally he just nodded and looked back down at the table. His eyes said that he didn't believe Naruto, and that he was still blaming himself for what happened, but he squeezed Naruto's hand a little tighter.

"Naruto... while I was away, I was thinking... and I've been wanting to ask you something."

"Yes?" Naruto asked hesitantly, wondering why Sasuke was suddenly changing the subject.

"I... Well..." He sighed and started over. "You're going to change back after you have the babies right? Then you're going to be normal _male_ Naruto again?" His voice was very quiet.

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Then... I was just wondering if you would be willing to marry a failure Uchiha like me." A sudden blush bloomed brightly on Sasuke's face, and that in itself was enough to surprise Naruto. Rarely had he seen Sasuke blush, but the boy didn't seem to mind so much around Naruto.

There was a great moment of silence then. It almost seemed as if the world had stopped turning. Did Sasuke _really_ just propose? Sasuke _Uchiha_? A little alarmed by the silence, Sasuke looked up at Naruto questioningly, and suddenly there were tears in Naruto's eyes again as his heart soared. He had never been happier in his entire life. "Of course I'll marry you Sasuke," he said quietly. He gave Sasuke's hand a squeeze, and the Uchiha smiled slightly with relief.

"I'm glad," he replied.

After another moment of stunned silence, when Naruto finally managed to wrap his head around the fact that he had just accepted a marriage proposal from Sasuke Uchiha himself, he asked, "Why did you ask about me changing back though? A second ago you asked if I was changing back once the babies were born... how come?"

Sasuke suddenly smirked, but he didn't let go of Naruto's hand. Naruto was glad for that. "Well, it's like I told Kakashi and Iruka that day you got pushed; since when have the elders allowed gay marriage in Konoha? To them, right now, _you_ are Ayako-chan, and you will _still_ be Ayako-chan until after the babies are born. If we get married _before_ the babies are born, technically it will be a marriage between a man and a woman, and the elders will not be able to fight us. Especially if we have Tsunade on our side."

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face and he gave a short laugh. "That's brilliant Sasuke! How long did it take you to come up with something like that?"

The Uchiha returned his grin, but simply shrugged instead of answering. Abruptly, he stood and let go of Naruto's hand. Silently he walked around the table over to Naruto, and Naruto pushed his chair so that he was facing the Uchiha. "What is it Sasuke?" Sasuke's expression was serious, and there was a look of almost... concentration in his eyes.

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"I said, close your eyes."

A little confused, Naruto obeyed. What the hell was going on? He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Sasuke's lips press to his. But surely those could not be Sasuke's lips. Sasuke didn't like kissing women. Sasuke Uchiha _never_ kissed women. Sasuke Uchiha thought that women were far too excitable and annoying. Why would Sasuke Uchiha be kissing little Ayako-chan? Then again, Sasuke Uchiha had just asked the same little Ayako-chan to marry him. The same Ayako-chan was having the same Sasuke's little Uchiha babies. Therefore those almost _had_ to be Sasuke Uchiha's lips pressed to little Ayako-chan's.

When Sasuke finally pulled back, Naruto's head was spinning. "Well, I usually only kiss the male version of Naruto, but I guess you'll have to do for now." Sasuke's voice was kind of quiet and very warm. It made Naruto feel... happy. _Really_ happy.

"Uh... I'm a little stunned," Naruto replied with a nervous laugh. "I thought... wow. Well... okay."

For the first time in what seemed a very long time, Sasuke Uchiha laughed.


	17. The Assassin's Message

**_Disclaimer:_ **_I do not own Naruto_

_**A/N:** Yay for updates and yay for long chapters!_

* * *

With the news of Sasuke and Naruto's engagement, and with the identity of the attempted murderer finally revealed, Konoha was suddenly thrown into a state of celebration. Sasuke described what the man looked like down the last detail, and posters and signs with the man's picture on them were put up everywhere. The streets were practically lined with them. According to Sasuke, the man's name was Dai Akamatsu and he was an ex-ninja from the Village Hidden in Smoke.

As suspected, the elders at first were anything but supportive when they heard of the engagement of Naruto and Sasuke, but Tsunade herself quickly pointed out the fact that it would not exactly be a gay marriage since Naruto was still a woman. The elders finally agreed to it, but according to them the marriage would only be valid whenever Naruto was a woman. They said that Sasuke would only be marrying Ayako-chan, _not _Naruto, so whenever Naruto was in his male form, they would not recognize the marriage. Konoha, however, didn't really care about the details. Most of the villagers were just glad that the two would finally be out of their hair since the killer was identified, and they figured that after Naruto and Sasuke married, everything in the village would settle down once more.

The girls of Konoha, mainly Sakura, were the ones planning the wedding of course. They absolutely insisted on it, and neither Sasuke nor Naruto minded letting them take over since they themselves didn't know the first thing about planning weddings. Sasuke strictly told the girls not to take things overboard and make a really big deal out of it. The girls said that they would behave, but they said it with mischievous grins on their faces, and Naruto suspected that they were going to do whatever the hell they wanted no matter what he and Sasuke had to say about it.

Certain things about the wedding were quickly decided. For example, all of Konoha would be there, and "Grandma" Tsunade herself would be performing the ceremony.

All too soon it was time for Naruto to try on his dress, which under no conditions was Sasuke Uchiha allowed to see until the day of the wedding. Actually, Naruto didn't think it was a very big deal, but Sakura and Ino disagreed - strongly. His dress was quite pretty - to Sakura and Ino at least. But to Naruto, it was just uncomfortable. It itched like crazy and it was hard as hell to sit down while wearing it - and sitting at this stage in his pregnancy was quite important to Naruto. When he firmly told the girls that he absolutely would _not_ wear his dress throughout the entire wedding reception - which they were planning also - he was found a more comfortable, but still formal, evening gown.

One thing that definitely made Naruto uneasy about dresses were the strapless ones. No sleeves, no straps, and not even tight across the chest. How the hell was he supposed to keep the thing up? His breasts weren't _that_ big. Ino said "when you got it, flaunt it, and you've definitely got it," but the only thing Naruto thought he "got" was a fat pregnant belly, ugly and awkward, jutting out in front of him. And he was supposed to wear a crimson red strapless dress in _this _condition? Whatever else the girls had decided, he would not let them embarrass him so much as that. Eventually, he chose a dress of his own that they were all able to agree on.

Sasuke Uchiha spent many of his days locked away in the Uchiha mansion. He absolutely refused to go into Konoha anymore. All the villagers seemed to have something to say about the upcoming wedding, whether it was a smirk, or congratulations, jokes with the other villagers, or even a scowl from the ones who disapproved of two men marrying. However much anyone argued, there were still a few strong headed, very opinionated people in the village, who refused to see beyond the fact that Naruto was originally a guy.

Sooner than Naruto, or Sasuke, or anyone else for that matter, could have imagined, the wedding day arrived. Naruto had spent the night in Sakura's apartment - he still wasn't sure why, something about the bride and groom not seeing each other the night before the wedding - but he had spent most of the night tossing nervously in the sheets, rather than actually sleeping, as he should have been. Truthfully, Naruto was not looking forward to the ceremony. He _wanted_ to marry Sasuke - more than anything - but... was every bride this nervous before their wedding day?

It seemed that the date had sneaked up on him. He had been perfectly fine, even excited, until the very night before. Now he was anxious. So anxious. Though he didn't really know why he should be. Nightmares plagued his sleep - the little sleep he had actually gotten - and he woke several times in the night, sweating. Nightmares of Itachi... always of Itachi. And a new, nameless face, hidden in shadows, with the killer's symbol tattooed on his neck.

Naruto came awake the next morning to the soft light of dawn spilling in from the window. Knowing that now that he was awake, he'd never be able to get back to sleep, he stood up from the bed and walked - more like waddled - over to the window, and he gazed out at Konoha, thinking... _I'm getting married today._

This day, he knew, would change his life forever. From this day forward, he and Sasuke would be together - for better or worse. And coming from Sasuke and Naruto, "for better or worse," meant a lot. Their "better" times would always be exceptionally better, but their "worst" times would always be exceptionally worse. However, Naruto gravely considered this day as a day of great importance, as a day he would forever be tied to Sasuke Uchiha.... Suddenly the birth of their babies did not seem anywhere near as far off as it had the night before.

It still blew his mind that _Naruto_ and _Sasuke_ were going to have a family, to _be_ a family. And for the first time in his life, and for the first time in a long time for Sasuke, he would _have_ people to call his family. And _that_ was what was so important, _that_ was what would bind this family together - for better or for worse. Sasuke and Naruto had never had much that they _could _call family, both boys had seemed forever alone, but now... now things were going to change. From this day on, Naruto and Sasuke would - officially - have something to share; a love, and a family, people to care for, who cared for each other.

It was a very special day for Naruto and Sasuke.

Sakura knocked lightly on Naruto's bedroom door, pulling the Kyuubi boy out of his reverie. He turned to face the door as she poked her head in. Softly, she said, "Naruto, it's time to get ready."

And so, four hours later, the people of Konoha began to gather. A space in the town had been cleared for white tents and decorations, a long red carpet had been stretched out. Every face was there, even the ones who supposedly disapproved of the wedding - and Naruto hoped those few wouldn't cause any trouble. Every villager in Konoha truly was there.

Naruto, however, hidden away with Sakura and Hinata in a separate, enclosed tent, standing grumpily in his uncomfortable dress, did not get to see the party guests, only listen to the chatter outside, which was growing steadily louder by the minute. It was then that he remembered there would be a lot of drinking at his wedding, probably as much as - if not more than - there had been at Sasuke Uchiha's 18th birthday party. With a sigh, Naruto gently pulled aside one of the curtains around the tent that were hiding him from the crowd. The sky was not the perfect azure blue as a normal summer day, but at least it wasn't raining. He _hoped_ it wouldn't rain. Everything would be absolutely ruined if it rained. He closed the curtain.

Hinata and Sakura and Ino had had to help him into his dress. For as difficult as it would have been to get the thing on by himself anyway, Naruto was also about seven months pregnant now, which, as you can imagine, made it quite a bit more difficult. Also, not only had the girls already forced him into his wedding dress, they had insisted on doing his hair and make up as well. Naruto hadn't worn much make up since his identity as a male had been revealed, so it took some getting used to again, but he didn't fight them with it too much. As much as he would hate to ever admit to it aloud, Naruto _did_ want to look pretty for his wedding day. After all, if he was going to have to be a woman, he might as well be a good-looking one.

Soon, Sakura had to leave the tent to help Ino settle the guests into their seats, but Hinata stayed at his side as he sat -uncomfortably, and nervously. She even held his hand, and rubbed his arms comfortingly. Naruto was so glad that Sakura and Ino had decided on a dress that had sleeves to it. Hinata leaned down next to Naruto, smiling, and she said, "Don't worry so much Naruto-kun. You don't want to sweat." She patted his face with a handkerchief she had pulled from the pocket of her own dress.

She continued to smile at him. "You are very pretty today Naruto-kun. You will do just fine. Try not to fidget so much, and a smile could not hurt." Suddenly, the crowd outside the tent fell quiet. Too quiet. "This is a very special day for you and Sasuke-kun, and while it's only natural for you to be nervous, you should try to enjoy it." It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying - his nerves had jumped with the silence of the crowd outside.

A soft tune began to play somewhere outside the tent. Naruto glanced quickly from the tent flap to Hinata, sweat breaking out over his face again - which she quickly patted down. He suddenly felt very sick. "I... I can't do this Hinata. I-I just can't!"

"Shh, nonsense. You've known this day was coming for a long time, and you _want_ to spend the rest of your life with Sasuke-kun, don't you?" She helped him stand, and pushed him closer to the exit.

"I'm going to be sick," he squealed. For once he didn't mind that his voice was embarrassingly high-pitched.

Hinata simply smiled at him. "Just think of it this way, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun is probably just as nervous as you are." She gave a small laugh before shoving him through.

Hinata, Sakura, and Ino, one by one sauntered down the aisle. Hinata dressed in white, Sakura in light pink, and Ino in soft yellow. They walked slowly, gracefully, and beautifully, tiny smiles dancing upon their faces as they held bouquets of flowers in their hands close to their breasts. Naruto, hidden behind one of the large white curtains tied at the corner of the tent, watched the procession. He noted that Sasuke, standing at the other end of the aisle and looking quite handsome in a black tux, looked just about as nervous as Naruto felt, though no doubt he was trying to hide it. Thinking of Hinata's words to him in the other tent, Naruto smiled; the thought _did_ lighten his mood a bit, even if his stomach still churned with butterflies.

Next down the aisle came three small girls of ages about four to seven, dressed in the same colored dresses as the three bridesmaids before them, and carrying tiny baskets of flower petals. They walked in order from youngest to oldest, shortest in the front and tallest in the back, sprinkling flower petals along the aisle as they went. Naruto subconsciously placed a hand upon his swollen belly, thinking once again of what his children would look like when they were born. Would they be anything like those three pretty little girls walking down the aisle? It made him forget, for a moment, that he was at his own wedding, and it took him another moment to realize that the reason the crowd was becoming restless was because they were all waiting for him. The soft music playing stopped abruptly, and changed to "Here Comes the Bride." If anything, Sasuke Uchiha looked even more nervous, and Ino and Sakura peered cautiously around at the tied up curtains, but little Hinata simply stood there, calmly, waiting with a smile.

Taking in one last big gulp of air, Naruto stepped out into the open. Immediately the tension in the crowd faded into sighs and soft "oohs" and "aahs," praising him as a beautiful bride. Remembering what Hinata had said - she was smiling brightly at him now, encouragingly - he tried to keep a smile on his face, but he blushed brightly and nearly scowled as he had to waddle down the aisle. As pregnant as he was, he could never be as graceful as Sakura, Ino, and Hinata had been. It frustrated him, but once he approached Sasuke, all thoughts of that were forgotten as the Uchiha - smiling nervously, and a bit wide eyed - took his hands in his and the music died down to a stop. Quickly the Uchiha whispered in his ear, "You look very pretty today, Naruto," and Naruto blushed again, but couldn't keep down a smile. He was also pleased to see that Sasuke had little dark rings around his eyes - Naruto had not been the only one losing sleep the night before.

And Tsunade, trying to hide a beaming smile for the two standing before her, began the ceremony. Sasuke and Naruto said their vows, exchanged rings - which were handed to them on a soft white linen pillow by a young boy with an innocent face - and finally, kissed. And with that, the two were married.

* * *

Naruto had changed into the soft blue, comfortable evening gown he had picked for the reception. He and Sasuke were to cut the cake now, and make their speech - or speeches, whichever. Then, the toasts would begin, and afterwards people would begin drinking and dancing, and eventually Naruto and Sasuke would be all but forgotten. At least, Naruto hoped so. He didn't want to have to stick around all night for the drinking and the dancing. He was quite tired already, and it was only just past noon.

Naruto and Sasuke cut the cake, and handed out pieces one by one to the individuals of Konoha. Next, they opened gifts. Many of the things they received seemed to be items for babies - both boy and girl items since no one was sure what gender(s) the twins would be yet - and Naruto was quite grateful for all the gifts. He hadn't realized before just how many things he would need in order to take care of, not one, but _two_ babies. The items given to them as wedding gifts were items much needed.

It was nearly two hours later by the time everyone was settled at tables with their cake and their drinks, and Sasuke and Naruto stood at the front of the tent - a different tent than the one the ceremony had been held in - and every villager became quiet, waiting patiently for their speech to begin.

Sasuke, who stood with an arm lightly across Naruto's back, started off his own speech, and what he had to say startled everybody - including Naruto. "About seven months ago," he began, and the crowd listened intently, "around my birthday, I never would have imagined that my life would lead me here." He made a face that a few people in the crowd laughed at - they remembered too how very unexpected this whole situation had been. Sasuke's speech continued and the crowd died down again. "I have a feeling that Naruto and I are going to have a lot of difficult times we'll have to go through in order to make this marriage work, but I also believe that..." He paused for a moment. "...that we'll be happy together. It's been a while since either one of us really had family, and now that _we_ are a family, I don't plan on letting anyone or anything get in the way of that." Blushing ever so slightly, Sasuke glanced at Naruto, and then finished by saying, "Naruto, and our babies, have become everything to me. Even though all this started as a big accident, I wouldn't take any of it back. I _will_ protect my family."

Silence followed the Uchiha's heartfelt speech, which made him blush even more, no doubt wondering if he had said to much, wondering if the image of the great Uchiha Avenger was damaged by such warm, determined words... but then again, no matter how much he worried for his pride, Sasuke stood there with his face glowing red and didn't say a word about it.  
And the crowd began to clap. Some of the women were crying a little, some of them were sobbing openly. Whether the girls of Konoha were crying because they regretted not being Sasuke Uchiha's "one true love," or whether it was because of Sasuke's touching speech, was unknown to Naruto, but at the moment he didn't care. At the moment, he was struggling to keep down tears of his own.

Naruto had somehow managed to become one of the most important people in Sasuke Uchiha's life, and he was happy. So very, indescribably, happy.

One face in the crowd stood out in particular. Kakashi Hatake, who had tried so hard as the boys' sensei to show them... who had tried so hard to make them understand that friendship and love, above all, were the two most important things a person could have. Above Sasuke's thirst for revenge, and hunger for power, above Naruto's dedication to becoming Hokage -love was what mattered. For a moment, Naruto thought he saw tears glistening in Kakashi's one visible eye while the man smiled, but when he looked again, Kakashi had moved and was nowhere to be seen. Naruto thought he must have imagined it.

Swallowing hard as the crowd fell silent again, Naruto realized that now it was his turn to say something. He _had _had a little something planned out to say the day before, had rehearsed it nervously for hours with little butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, but after hearing Sasuke's words, he had already forgotten it all. He stood in what could only be described as awe at Sasuke's speech. Whatever he (Naruto) had made up the day before, whatever he could scrape up now, could never match up to the things Sasuke had just said. Naruto would never be able to put into words the way he felt right then.

Clearing his throat, though it did little good for the sound of tears in his voice, Naruto spoke. "Well... I don't really know what to say," he started with an uneasy laugh. A few in the crowd wiped their tears and grinned at him, and he smiled nervously back. "All I can really say is that I am... so _happy_ right now. I'm so _happy_. Even with everything that's happened since... since Sasuke's party...." A few laughed at that. "Even with everything that's happened, I am glad that I am where I am today. I'm so glad to be here, with Sasuke, and I'm even kind of glad that I'm about to have babies!" He laughed nervously at that. "Even being in this stupid woman form, even being seven months pregnant with this big fat belly sticking out in front of me... I wouldn't change it for the world." Grinning, he looked up at Sasuke as the crowd began to clap again, and the Uchiha hugged him a little closer.

* * *

The drinking and the dancing finally began - after all the toasts from the guests of course - but Naruto avoided both the best he could. Dancing was awkward in his current state. He danced once with Sasuke, as was the tradition at weddings, but other than that, he stayed cleared of the dance floor. However, Naruto _did _regret not being able to consume any alcohol. It would be harmful for the babies of course, but with all the stress he'd been put through in the past few months, he needed a good strong drink. Tsunade, though, however much she drank herself, kept a close eye on him.

At one point, as Naruto and Sasuke were standing near one another just after their dance, Kakashi and Iruka approached them to give their congratulations. It was odd to see both men looking so fine in their back tuxedos, both of their usual messes of hair slicked into order. "You look very pretty today, Aya-" Iruka cleared his throat and corrected himself. "Naruto." Naruto grinned happily at him, and the man smiled back.

Kakashi looked upon Naruto with approving eyes. "Ah yes, very cute Ayako-chan." Suddenly, he pulled Iruka by the waste toward him. The other man struggled in his grip, but Kakashi held him close, smiling all the while. "I do believe you've given Iruka and I a possible solution to our little problem. And just think of how pretty _he'll_ look in a wedding dress." Kakashi happily nuzzled his nose against the blushing Iruka's neck. One of Sasuke's eyes twitched. With Kakashi laughing, the two of them congratulated the happily married couple once more and walked away into the crowd.

Mostly during the party, Naruto sat chatting idly with the people of Konoha, getting compliments on his dress and such. There was no need for him to go around to each individual table in order to say hello to all the party guests; surprisingly, they all came to him. Also, Naruto was given plenty of overviews of Sasuke's speech, with die-hard fan girls sighing, and even tearing up a little, saying brokenly how sweet it had been. Naruto couldn't help but smile the first few times people talked with him about it, and his eyes would seek out Sasuke in the crowd every time. However, after about the tenth time someone brought it up, the subject began to get a little old, and eventually became annoying.

It did not take very long for Naruto to get bored, and judging by the look on Sasuke's face, he was quite bored as well. Naruto excused himself from his table - none of the others really seemed to notice anyway - and he shuffled his way over to the Uchiha, who was standing by himself and lightly scowling at the crowd.

Naruto touched his arm a bit reluctantly. Earlier, Sasuke had all but proclaimed his love for Naruto, but however many pretty words he spoke, Naruto knew that this marriage wouldn't change the Uchiha. Too much. After all, there was no way to keep Sasuke from being Sasuke, and Sasuke Uchiha the Avenger was definitely not the romantic type. He got bored easily, embarrassed easily, and he sure as hell wasn't one to talk about his feelings. Naruto would not - could not - expect Sasuke to dote on him now like some wound up fan girl.

When Naruto touched his arm, Sasuke turned to him, and his small scowl disappeared. However, he still didn't smile. "Are you ready to go home now?" he asked casually.

Naruto glanced around at the crowd of people, still eating drinking laughing and dancing, all having a good time. "What about the party guests?" he asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Forget about them. It's our party, we can leave when we want." Naruto smiled at that.

Back at the Uchiha mansion about thirty minutes later - it had been surprisingly easy to slip away from the celebration unnoticed, though it took some time to get to the house with Naruto's fat pregnant belly slowing them down - Naruto just hoped that none of the guests would later that night decide to show up at their door.

So he and Sasuke were married now.

He didn't really feel very different; the only difference he really felt was that now there was a ring on his finger which had never been there before. "Hm..." Sasuke said thoughtfully, his expression quite serious. "So what should I call you? My 'husband?'" His eyes shined playfully.

Naruto, with an expression just as serious, said, "Damn straight!" And Sasuke chuckled.

"You need your medicine," the Uchiha said. "You stay here. I'll get it."

"And tea?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Sasuke shook his head. "Milk is better."

Naruto pouted, as if hurt. "You won't fix me tea on our wedding night?"

Sasuke shook his head - with a small smile that he tried to hide - and stalked into the kitchen. "So that's a no?" Naruto called after him with a grin.

"You get milk," Sasuke replied, his voice slightly muffled. It was Naruto's turn to laugh.

The next several events seemed to happen all at once for Naruto. One minute, he and Sasuke were talking, the next there was a loud crash as one of the living room windows shattered, something tugged painfully at one of Naruto's ears, causing a sharp, stinging pain on that side of his head, and the sound of a dull thud as something hit the opposite wall. Naruto collapsed to his knees, crying out because of the pain. When he pulled his fingers away from his ear, blood covered his shaking hand.

Sasuke rushed in, and was out the front door in a flash. Naruto sat in pain on the floor, crying.

Then he saw the kunai that had clipped his ear. Someone had thrown it in through one of the windows, and it was now stuck against the back wall of the room. If Naruto had been standing a fraction more to the right when the weapon had crashed in, it would have gone straight through his head. He shivered, and another stab of pain shook his body.

And then Sasuke was back, crouched down on the floor next to him, pulling Naruto into his arms to examine the wound. "I couldn't find him," he said bluntly. Sasuke's eyes were burning with rage. There was no need to say who he was talking about - neither of them believed that it had been anyone other than Dai Akamatsu. "I'll send for Tsunade in a minute. Here, take your hand away and let me see." Sasuke winced at all the blood, which was now dribbling uncomfortably down Naruto's chin and chest onto his pretty dress, and Naruto whimpered as the side of his head throbbed in pain. "Ow, ow, ow!" he cried.

"You've lived through worse before, dobe, don't be such a baby." Despite his harsh words, there was deep concern in Sasuke's eyes.

"Yeah you're right." Naruto smiled up at him. "But a pregnant guy's got a right to complain doesn't he?"

Sasuke smiled weakly back.

"There's a note tied to that kunai," Naruto noted, spotting the piece of paper for the first time. "Go see what it says." Sasuke looked unsure of whether he should leave Naruto's side. "I'm fine," the boy assured him.

Slowly Sasuke stood, his body language suggesting that he was either afraid or too angry to approach the weapon with any kind of haste. Sasuke jerked the kunai from the wall and quickly untied the piece of paper from it, keeping the weapon in one hand as he unfolded and read the note. At first, he simply looked angry - very angry - but then suddenly his face went deathly pale and his eyes widened in shock. Slowly, his eyes scanned over the paper from top to bottom, again and again, and he never said a word. He spent a long time reading and rereading before finally he lowered the piece of paper to his side, and looked to the ground in stunned seriousness.

"What is it Sasuke?" Naruto asked shakily. "What does it say?"

Without a single word, Sasuke crossed the room and handed him the paper, then kept walking until he reached the door. Sasuke stood silently at the open doorway, staring out into the night. Naruto watched him for a moment before finally turning to the piece of paper in his hand, the pain in his ear all but forgotten.

_Dear Uchiha,_

_I could have killed him you know, but for now we want him alive. He needs to be alive for the babies to be born, after all. The nick on the demon boy's ear will perhaps be a warning to the both of you. No matter how hard you try, I will always be around, watching you, and nothing you do can stop it. You know who I am but you do not yet know what I want. Do not seek me out. When the time comes, I will reveal myself to you, and all will be explained -in good time._

_Do not worry for the boy's safety. I will not harm him, unless given orders to. Also, I suggest you do not try to run, because wherever you go, I will follow. I am always watching you, Uchiha, and your little boyfriend too. Oh and do me a favor please and keep him plenty healthy will you? We want those babies of his to be born nice and strong now don't we?_

_I will be waiting and watching Uchiha. Remember, do not seek me out. It may cost you your life. As much as your brother wants you for himself, if you threaten me again I will be forced to kill you. And oh yes, how could I have nearly forgotten? Itachi sends his fondest greetings, and well wishes upon the newly weds. Have a good day, Sasuke Uchiha._

Naruto felt his face blanch, and his eyes widen. Only one numb thought came to mind... _Itachi...._

He wasn't sure how long he sat there like that, staring off into nothing, letting the fear roll over him. Finally, he stood, and realized that he could not feel his body move. His limbs were still numb -with shock. Once he reached Sasuke's side, he didn't say a single word. His hand with the paper in it fell to his side and the note slipped from his fingers. Together for a while, Sasuke and Naruto stared silently into the darkness.


	18. Welcome, Brother

_**Disclaimer:**__ Of course I don't own Naruto_

_**A/N:**__ Well, it took A LOT of thinking over, but I FINALLY came up with exactly how the story is going to end. I'm hoping for just a few more chapters, but I'm not sure how many quite yet. But anyway, here I am updating again. The story is almost done, and for those of you curious, I AM considering making this a trilogy. I can't wait! So tell me what you think.__

* * *

_

_**A/N:**__ By the way, I don't know a whole lot about child birth, so to those of you who know more about it than I, if I got a few things wrong I'm sorry and I'd love it if you would message me or review and tell me how I could change it and make it better. kthanx.

* * *

_

Naruto began having contractions. Not the excruciatingly painful ones - the small ones that he said were... "uncomfortable," but not quite painful. When the contractions first began, Sasuke thought that Naruto was going into actual labor, but Tsunade said that these contractions were normal. She said that they were preparing his body for childbirth or something. The first of the contractions began the day just after their tragic wedding night. Tsunade also said something about it being because of all the stress.

Naruto's ear was healing nicely now. According to Tsunade it had been a clean cut, and soon it would be just the same as it always had. Tsunade had also suggested that because of the new, high(er) danger risk, perhaps Naruto and Sasuke should move in with her for a while. Sasuke and Naruto quickly agreed; after all, what safer place was there in all Konoha but under the same roof as the Hokage? They were of course under strict security now - more strict than it had _ever_ been before. The sense of having no privacy was very unnerving at first, but they were so concerned about the safety of Naruto and the babies that nobody really complained.

There were at least four fully trained and able guards around Tsunade's house at all times. Sometimes even a few of the villagers who had never trained for battle a single day of their lives decided to pitch in - with the four trained ninjas still there of course - showing their true loyalty and friendship to either Naruto/Ayako or Sasuke or both. Even the owner of the ramen shop was there one night - something for which Naruto was shocked beyond belief. As fat and as unskilled as he was at anything other than making ramen, the man was willing to give all that he could offer. It was very touching to Naruto.

After word of Itachi's survival had spread nicely around town, even Hiashi Hyuga seemed a bit more alert than usual. The entire village of Konoha seemed tense, as if holding its breath in anticipation. Everyone was on their guard; everyone was ready.

For you see, there was not a single soul in all of Konoha that had not been in some way touched or affected by either Naruto or Ayako or Sasuke. Even people who did not like Naruto or Sasuke very much stood prepared for the worst, because the existence of a crazed murderer who had slaughtered his own family was bad news to everyone. Everybody in the village was doing everything in their power to keep Konoha safe, and in a sense, to protect Sasuke and Naruto and their babies as well.

Naruto was approaching eight months pregnant by now. Soon - very, very, _very_ soon - it would be time for the babies to be born. The thought of being with Sasuke and the babies together, of holding and caring for the babies together, of being a family... those thoughts were probably the only things keeping Naruto sane. His nerves were shot all to hell with the worry and the pregnancy. Being eight months pregnant was difficult enough under normal circumstances; Naruto found it shocking to say the least that he'd managed to survive everything that he'd been through since Sasuke's 18th birthday party.

Having Sasuke around was an _extreme_ comfort to Naruto. One would think that Sasuke himself would be stressed out and depressed enough for the both of them, but Naruto's first round of contractions had shocked him out of his self-pity. After seeing how truly messed up Naruto was, and seeing how much Naruto truly needed him, Sasuke had become much more serious about his role of being a father and a husband. He took care of Naruto now, claiming to have no time for guilt or doubt. They would make it through this, he said. Even if it cost everything Sasuke could ever possibly offer, they would make it through this.

Naruto spent his days in a haze. The truth that Itachi was actually alive and really _did_ want their babies was enough to send him into an extreme state of shock. Everything around him felt as if it were moving in slow motion; everything seemed to be fogged over. It was like living within the dream of a dream - or perhaps it was a nightmare. He never once cried though - he just felt sort of blank, and for some reason that worried Tsunade, though he wasn't sure why. Then he overheard her talking one night while she thought him asleep.

"It's just not natural for someone in his situation to be like this," she whispered vehemently to Sasuke. "He has to show some emotion sometime. This really isn't good for him or the babies."

There was a long pause.

"How do you mean?" Sasuke finally asked.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "All I'm saying is that we have to get him out of this state of shock. It might seem like it's keeping him calm, but in reality it's eating him alive. If he doesn't face the facts soon it could trigger the birth of the babies, and it's still a _bit_ early for that. We want this to go as smoothly and as naturally as possible."

"I understand," Sasuke replied, and he sounded as if he truly did.

Naruto, on the other hand, didn't really see what the big fuss was about. Why should one worry about something that one had no control over? It didn't matter how many guards stood at his door every day and night - Itachi would come, Itachi would take the babies, and Itachi would kill everything dear to him. It was inevitable. ...He just didn't want to worry Sasuke with the talk of such things. So what was it really hurting for him to stay so cut off from everything? It was best for him to stay this way, wasn't it?

Naruto decided to remain cold.

Then one night, quite unexpectedly, Sasuke said something that threw Naruto out of his emotionless state. Sasuke walked into the room - strange how Naruto hadn't even been aware of him not being there. Usually he noticed such things.

Sasuke sat next to Naruto on the couch, waited, and pulled him close. "Talk to me, Naruto," he said, and his voice was strangely intense.

"What do you want me to talk about?" Naruto asked simply.

"Anything. Everything. Tell me what you're thinking."

Naruto's voice got quiet. "You wouldn't like the things I'm thinking."

"Tell me anyway."

"Why, Sasuke?"

"Because." Sasuke backed away a bit, still with his arms wrapped around the pregnant Kyuubi container, and looked Naruto in the eyes. "I'm your husband. You're supposed to talk to me, right? Isn't that what wives do?" He cracked a tiny smile that didn't reach his serious eyes. Naruto didn't know what to say. Sasuke's tiny smile faded, and his eyes suddenly burned intense. "I _do_ love you, Naruto," he whispered. Despite everything, a bright blush bloomed once again on Sasuke's face, but the determination in his eyes did not waver.

Sasuke had never said it before. Not directly, anyway.

Naruto's eyes filled to the brim with tears, and he was speechless. Well, there went his staying-away-from-all-emotions strategy. It was quite a tender moment, and Naruto found, late that night after hours and hours of deep conversation, with Sasuke now fast asleep at his side, arms wrapped around him... Naruto felt, well, better. He felt whole. He felt alive. Suddenly he believed Sasuke's words - they would make it through this. They _would_ make it through this... no matter what.

* * *

After that, everything just got worse. Naruto's peaceful reassurance lasted only that one night, for afterwards he was soon constantly overcome with worry and pain. The contractions worsened. The nightmares continued. It was hard to eat without throwing up, and even harder to sleep at night. Tsunade soon forced more medicine upon him - not to throw him back into his dazed state, but just to calm his nerves a bit. She claimed that it was the most she could do.

Even so, Naruto was stressed beyond his limits. Sometimes he found it hard to breathe.

That was where Sasuke came into the picture. He stayed by Naruto's side at all times, comforting him, holding him. Sasuke sometimes had to force-feed Naruto, and had to help him get to sleep every night. Nighttime was the most difficult time. When it got dark outside was when Naruto worried the most.

Sakura, Ino, Hinata and the other girls of Konoha visited him often, usually bringing with them massive amounts of fresh flowers from Ino's little shop. Naruto was never much one up for gifts and flowers and other such things, but the roses did have quite a pleasant smell, and often times when his nerves were calm enough to let him sit quietly by himself, he could reach out and appreciate the delicate flowers and the lovely scents they released into the air. It was a strange kind of comfort.

Naruto did not get to see many of his guy friends anymore though. They were all out working their hardest, trying to protect him. And the village as well, of course. Tsunade, however, was not as busy as the ninja of Konoha seemed to be. With no paperwork or any other such thing to do, she often paced the living room of her own house, fretting, wishing there was more she could do. Everyone in the village seemed completely wrapped up in the fact that Itachi Uchiha was alive. And Naruto didn't blame them.

Itachi was a madman. Everybody knew this.

Well, at least Sasuke had stopped blaming himself for everything that had happened. Or at least he seemed to have. Sometimes his resolve slipped - but other than those few times, he stayed strong. Naruto was grateful for that fact. He wasn't sure where he'd be without Sasuke.

Slowly, but inevitably, the days did pass. Naruto couldn't remember ever being so stressed in his life, and a part of that had to do with the fact that he wasn't the only one worrying this time; now everybody was tense, their defenses up, even when they were smiling. Of_ course _that didn't help matters.

Naruto was not allowed to leave Tsunade's house, nor did he really have the urge to. Tsunade's house was the safest place in the village, as much as the village itself was being protected these days. Yep. Naruto was being put under "lockdown," as Sasuke teasingly put it. Don't get the wrong impression though, Naruto did get quite _bored._ But being _bored_ was not a good enough excuse to put his babies' lives at risk.

So. He stayed at the house. Cried often. Tried to eat, tried to sleep. Talked to Sasuke a lot. There wasn't much else he could do, and the suspense of it all was absolutely _killing _him. Sometimes - just sometimes - Naruto almost wished that Itachi would just hurry up and come for him, so that it could all be over. He just wanted for it all to be over....

He wasn't expecting that he'd get his wish so soon.

* * *

Almost a month since they had first moved in with Tsunade, and Naruto was eight months pregnant. It was a relief to know that the babies would be born soon. Perhaps that would make things a little easier. It wouldn't stop the worrying of course, or the stress ...actually, in truth it would probably make the situation worse rather than better. But at least it would give the village a little something to smile about. And maybe something for Naruto and Sasuke to smile about too.

Naruto was napping, for the first time in a while. Sasuke constantly encouraged him to get as much sleep as possible - the Kyuubi boy needed it. So much loss of sleep wasn't good for him and the babies.

Sasuke refused to leave Naruto's side while the pregnant boy slept. He would watch over his wife... husband. Sasuke was determined to protect Naruto, to be there for him when he needed him most. However, Sasuke could hardly say that he himself was not tired. He stayed up with Naruto all through the night whenever the boy couldn't sleep, he constantly comforted Naruto, watched Naruto, and kept his eyes on Naruto while he _was_ asleep. In sleep, whenever he was not dreaming those awful nightmares, Naruto looked so at peace. It was a relief for Sasuke to see him so.

However, it just _drained_ Sasuke. He knew that he should be well rested and ready for whenever Itachi showed up, but taking care of Naruto first seemed somehow so much more important than that. And Tsunade said that it was alright. Naruto _needed_ him. But how much could Sasuke do? How long could he go running on complete exhaustion?

And so, he let his eyes slide shut. Just for a moment, he told himself. Just needed to rest his eyes. It wouldn't hurt to drift off for just a moment. To close his eyes and let his mind wander...

When Sasuke opened his eyes again, the sky outside was blood red. The sun was setting.

And Naruto was gone.

* * *

Itachi Uchiha smirked as he stared down at his little prize - Naruto Uzumaki lying unconscious at his feet. Or perhaps it was... Ayako Uchiha he was looking at instead. It was perfect. Finally it would be the end of all that he had worked so hard for. Soon it would all be over.

He turned to Dai. "You know what to do."

Rather than simply cooperating, Dai snarled back. It was an annoying habit of his. "I don't like the tone of your voice, _Uchiha_. Remember that _I_ was the one who saved your sorry ass from the brink of death. Don't you _ever_ forget that _I_ was the one who brought you back. You should be grateful."

Itachi turned a cold shoulder, looking back down at his bait. "Of course Dai," he replied calmly. "How could I ever forget? But _you_ should remember that you were the one who agreed to help me. My brother is really quite pesky isn't he? Do not forget that it was you, Dai Akamatsu, who came up with this plan in the first place. A game you said. And you would be given the chance to use your abilities freely." He paused. "Well, are you going or not? The entire plan will fall apart if you don't, and what fun would that be?"

He could practically feel Dai's glare on his back. And then he was gone. Itachi knew he would be back.

_Soon, brother,_ he thought. _Soon.

* * *

_

As soon as Sasuke flung the door open, ready to rush out, there he was. Dai Akamatsu, standing on the porch of the Hokage's house... in plain sight of all the guards who were standing watch. And yet not a single one of them turned their way. "What-?" Sasuke began, but Dai raised a finger to his own lips.

One of the guards turned Sasuke's way. "Something wrong Sasuke?" he asked. But he didn't say anything about Dai - Dai, who was standing_ right _in front of him.

Sasuke looked from Dai to the guards and back again. Dai gave him a dangerous glare and shook his head slightly. "N-no. Nothing's wrong." Dai crooked a finger at him, stepped off the porch, and gestured for Sasuke to follow. "Just going out for a bit."

Why had he said that? As Sasuke followed Dai through the streets of Konoha, he wondered why he had done something so foolish. Why hadn't he just attacked Dai on the spot? Why hadn't he alerted the guards - who had all obviously been unable to see Dai standing there? And yet even as he wondered, Sasuke knew the answer. Dai and Itachi were on the same team now, and Sasuke knew that they had Naruto, somewhere. Sasuke would never put Naruto's life at risk. Not for all the vengeance in the world.

It was hard to keep a straight face while following his invisible enemy through the village. It was apparent that none of the villagers could see Dai either - just as the guards couldn't. They saw Sasuke, waved to him, said friendly hellos and asked how Naruto was doing. But Sasuke was in no position to stop for a chat, and he was in no mood to answer their questions. Each casual statement about Naruto and the babies sent another chill up his spine. He walked a little faster, and Dai glanced back at him once from over his shoulder.

Past the walls of Konoha, suddenly, Dai jumped from the dirt path road leading from the village and darted into the woods. Sasuke followed him without a thought and without a word. It didn't take much to keep up with him - Dai wasn't moving at a very fast pace, though Sasuke knew that he was usually much quicker than this.

"So where are you taking me?" Sasuke growled. "And why am I the only one who could see you back there?"

Dai didn't say a word.

"Answer me dammit!"

Sasuke moved to punch him, but Dai shifted out of the way. The next thing Sasuke knew, they were tumbling through the air. He was flying; Dai was behind him, pinning Sasuke's arms, one foot propped against his back. Sasuke landed on his face in the dirt, which was probably what Dai had intended anyway.

Silence, and then... someone was clapping. It was the noise that distracted Sasuke. "Welcome brother. Have you come to watch your lover die?"


	19. Itachi's Determination

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Naruto._

_**A/N:**__ And here you have it folks: chapter 19. W00T! _

When Sasuke looked up, the first thing he noticed was Naruto, lying unconscious, with a large purple bruise on the side of his face. "Naruto!" he cried. Someone chuckled lightly, and a pair of feet came into view. Sasuke knew it was Itachi before he even saw his brother's face. His first reaction was anger and shock. "Itachi!" he growled, and Dai - still pressing him to the ground - shoved Sasuke's face in the dirt.

"Good evening Sasuke," Itachi acknowledged him. He didn't even have the decency to sound _happy_ about all this. Then again, that was the thing about Itachi, wasn't it? He was just getting the job done. "I'm sure you have plenty of questions to ask, and I'll be willing to answer as many of them as you wish, for now. We have plenty of time. Dai's abilities work best when one is conscious, so I'm afraid we'll have to wait until your little _wife_ is awake."

Sasuke tried to raise his head, but Dai growled and pushed on him harder. "Enough, Dai," Itachi's cool voice said. "Let my brother see my face."

"But-"

Itachi cut him off. "I said, enough." Still growling, Dai allowed Sasuke to stand, still holding onto his arms firmly.

Sasuke could feel his eyes burning with the sharingan even before Itachi's face came into view. Itachi's own sharingan eyes glared back; he was not using his mangekyo sharingan yet. It was far too early in the battle for that, and even though they were still feet apart and Sasuke was being held back, it _was_ a battle.

"Brother," Itachi greeted him.

"I _hate _you," Sasuke hissed.

Itachi paused thoughtfully a moment. "Good," he replied, and he sounded satisfied. Then he turned from Sasuke and looked down at Naruto. "I must say Sasuke, I never expected _this_. I had always thought you'd had better tastes than that."

Sasuke snarled at him, but the expression on Itachi's face never changed. "So let's make small talk," the crazed Uchiha continued. "What have you been planning to name the babies? What genders do you think they will be? Do you believe they will be identical? And most importantly of all... will they have the sharingan?" Itachi's eyes sparkled at the last question. He stated each question slowly and carefully, as if testing the waters of Sasuke's emotions.

Sasuke did not reply. He hadn't actaully thought of that. The babies, with the Sharingan?

"Very well," Itachi commented the younger Uchiha's silence. "Do you have any questions for _me_ then, little brother?"

"I am not your brother," Sasuke growled. "I will _never_ be your brother."

Sasuke wasn't quite sure why what he had said snapped something inside of his brother, but suddenly Itachi was in his face. "You will _always_ be my little brother," he said quietly. Then he smiled, like he used to, and ruffled Sasuke's hair. "You shouldn't say such things." Then, he poked his brother in the forehead, and it annoyed Sasuke almost as much as it had before, when he was little. He jerked his head away from Itachi's touch. Sasuke could almost hear his own little voice asking his father, _"Why doesn't Itachi care about me?"_

"So. Questions?"

All was quiet for a moment, with Itachi and Dai waiting for a reply. Sasuke didn't want to do as they wanted him to, didn't want to ask questions, but his curiosity got the best of him, and he asked anyway. "How did you get through the village without anyone seeing you?" He demanded from Dai over his shoulder.

With the way he was positioned, Sasuke could just barely see Dai smirk. "It's a... unique little talent of mine. You see, the people of the village really _did_ see me, they only _thought_ that they didn't."

"What? That doesn't make any sense."

"Perhaps," Itachi interrupted. "you were wondering what Dai's true abilities are? I doubt that in researching him while on your mission to execute him that you found anything even remotely referring to his _true_ power. You see, he can control a person's body... because he can control a person's mind." Itachi stepped forward and ran a hand across Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke jerked away once again, and spat at him. Itachi stepped calmly back, and began to pace around Naruto's unconscious form as he spoke, as if he did not even see the boy laying there anymore. "He can control any part of your body, make it do whatever he wants it to do. He can make you walk through fire, can make the most inflexible person do back flips and handstands.

"He can take complete control of your mind - simply make your body _think_ that it's doing exactly what you want it to do. He can put thoughts in your head you never would have believed had been there before. He can control your emotions, too. I bet that if he wanted, he could make you hate Ayako, and make you love me." After taking that in, Sasuke cringed at the very idea. "Didn't you wonder why you were getting sick all the time? Didn't you wonder even for a moment why you were having all those convulsions and heacaches, little brother? It was all us. Dai was playing, I was trying to warn you. ...You didn't heed my warnings very well, though, did you brother? And that's also how we got little Ayako here, you see. She simply walked out of the house, right into our open arms."

It took Sasuke a moment to recover from such thoughts, but then when he did, he asked the first question that bubbled up to the surface in his mind. "Well if he has so much power over others, then why did you go through the trouble of capturing us this way? And if Naruto simply walked up to you, why did you have to put that bruise on his face? You could have kept him conscious."

Itachi paused, eyeing him almost... approvingly. Sasuke did not like that look. It was like a master looking down at his dog after the animal had performed a trick. "Very perceptive little brother. Dai's abilities are not so flawless as they would seem. With strong enough emotion, the bond between master and puppet can be broken. When your little wife first saw us, she broke that bond - with sheer fright, I might add - and tried to run. We couldn't have any of that though, so I'm afraid force was the only way to keep her here... and the only way to keep her quiet."

Sasuke snarled at that. Itachi's words were like a punch in the stomach for him. Every syllable was a reminder that Sasuke had not been there for Naruto when he needed him most - he had not been awake in order to stop him from leaving the house. Despite everything, he had not been able to keep him from Itachi. After a long drawn out silence, he then commented in a low voice, "You keep referring to him as a 'she...'"

Itachi nodded. "That's right." His eyes finally shifted back to Naruto. "That is because it is not your little boyfriend I see lying there. I have not come here for your precious _Naruto Uzumaki._ That boy means absolutely nothing to me." He turned coldly back to Sasuke. "I am here for Ayako Uzumaki." He paused thoushtfully. "Oh, and by the way, I _did_ congratulate the two of you didn't I? Hm, I must not have. How rude of me."

Sasuke snarled again. "You _congratulated _us enough with that letter you and Dai sent on our wedding night."

Itachi looked thoughtful again. "Oh yes," he replied absently. "It was such a marvelous wedding. I was there, you know. Quite a touching speech, Sasuke. It's too bad that you and your lover are about to die. Otherwise I'd imagine you'd be quite happy together."

"Why are you _doing_ this Itachi?" he burst. He could feel the tears of guilt and remorse rising to the surface. His face burned red. "I've never understood you!"

Itachi's red eyes glittered darkly. "As I've told you before brother - I do everything for my own benefit."

"How is _this_ for your own benefit?" Sasuke demanded.

"Don't you see, Sasuke? I want to be the strongest. I want _all _the power of the Uchiha. And with the rest of the Uchiha's out of the way, I will have that power."

"So why didn't you just kill me back then? Like you killed everybody else?" Sasuke could feel the burning anger inside of him at the very thought of that fateful night, so many years ago... and he could still feel the intense pain lingering behind it, the pain that he hardley acknowledged anymore.

"Because little brother, you were not strong enough. You were just a boy. There would have been no honor in killing you."

"What about killing your family? You think there was any honor in _that_?"

"I did not see them as my family when I fought them. I saw them as enemies - enemies with power. Just as I do not see you as my brother, and I do not see Ayako as my brother's wife or boyfriend."

All was silent for a very long moment. Finally, quietly, Sasuke asked, "What are you planning to do with us? Why don't you just kill us both now?"

Itachi smiled. "Simple. I want a fight." His eyes glazed over, as if he were seeing something very far off. "I've waited for this moment for far too long to have it end so quickly and so easily. I want this to be something to be remembered." He paused, and began to pace again. "After all, what point would there be in simply killing you now? Really, where would be the fun in that brother?" He stroked Sasuke's face with his hand again, and then turned back to Naruto. "It would just be too easy. So anticlimactic"

Itachi crouched down next to the unconscious boy, and extended his hand. "Don't you touch him!" Sasuke screamed, and he fought the hold Dai had on him, but barely moved at all.

Itachi rubbed Naruto's pregnant belly, and when he spoke he seemed to be speaking to himself, lost in thought. "I want to kill these precious little Uchiha's with my own hand...." He raised his voice then. "At first I had considered keeping them, you know. I wanted to let them grow, and wait for them to become strong. Just like I did with you, Sasuke. But then I thought, I have no time for babies, and I have become bored with waiting. It's best just to kill them now, before anyone even knows they are alive."

Horrified by the words pouring from his brother's mouth, Sasuke was speechless. Here was a madman, a demon, who wanted nothing more than to kill any and all of Sasuke's happiness. If there were a way for Sasuke to be content with life, Itachi would come along and destroy it. Just as he was about to do now. And Sasuke wasn't sure that he could stop him.

It was then that Naruto began to stir.

* * *

"Ah, the sleeping demon wakes," Itachi said quietly. He took his hand from Naruto's belly and stood.

It took a few moments for Naruto's eyes to open, and Sasuke noticed that one of them was badly swollen. He was pale, and looked so weak. Sasuke tried to remember when the last time it was that Naruto had eaten. The boy stared directly upward for a time, looking up at the clouds and the treetops and the sky, but then, slowly, he turned his head, and looked directly at Sasuke. "Sasuke!" he exclaimed quietly, as if surprised to see him. His voice sounded hoarse and came out as a mere whisper.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried. "Naruto you have to run! Run!"

"Sasuke...." His brow furrowed as if in concentration. "I can't... move."

Sasuke turned to look back at Dai, and the man began to laugh. He was holding Naruto down! "Let him go!" Sasuke demanded, but Dai only continued to laugh. He laughed like a madman. _He's as insane as Itachi!_ Sasuke thought.

"Dai." Sasuke turned back to his brother. "You know what to do."

Suddenly, Naruto gasped in pain. It was a gasp Sasuke recognized almost instantly. Then he gasped again. "Let him GO!" Sasuke screamed, much more fiercely this time. "_Let him go!_ He's having contractions!"

Then, Naruto's water broke, and Sasuke thought he was going to be sick. The babies were about to be born.

* * *

"It's too bad we do not have a medic-nin here with us today," Itachi said calmly, as if he saw the birth of a newborn child everyday. "Fortunately for us I have studied childbirth using the sharingan, and I'm sure I can manage this on my own. I am positive the babies will survive."

Sasuke turned pale. Itachi was going to deliver his and Naruto's babies. He was going to assure that they survived, only so that he would be able to slaughter them later. "You're _sick_," Sasuke whispered. Itachi only glanced at him.

"Dai," Itachi said. "Speed up the birthing process. I want these babies born within the hour." Sasuke's eyes widened. The girls of Konoha had all told him that child labor for just one baby almost always took _several_ hours, not just one.

Naruto began to scream.

"Naruto!" And with an extreme act of will and force, Sasuke pushed himself free of Dai's grasp...

...only to fall flat on his face to the ground.

Sasuke's stomach rolled. He suddenly, literally wanted to puke. His forehead immediately broke out in a sweat - he could almost feel his skin turn pale. He tried weakly to stand, but his body felt frozen and overcome with nausea. He was vaguely aware of Itachi crouching down by Naruto again, this time preparing for the deliveries.

"No," Sasuke gasped, and he stretched one hand forward. It took a lot of effort just for his arm to move those few little inches, and he knew then that it was Dai messing with his body, just as at the same time he was messing with Naruto's. Sasuke was weak as a kitten now, and so the most that he could do with his outstretched hand was claw at the earth. Naruto continued to scream and scream. Sasuke pushed his reluctant body forward, feeling the dirt push in beneath his fingernails as he dragged himself across the ground. "Naruto!" he gasped. His voice was frozen too. "Naruto." Tears filled Sasuke's eyes. It all seemed so useless....

And so, Sasuke struggled to move himself forward while Naruto screamed and Itachi worked. It was the most agonizing time of Sasuke's life - which was surprising considering all the horrible things that he'd already been through. Sasuke knew that he would find himself reliving that unbearable, excruciating moment time and time again for the rest of his life, if he even survived this day.

It seemed to take hours. Itachi would sometimes get frustrated and growl at Dai over his shoulder, and Sasuke had simply taken to putting his face in the dirt and crying silent tears, trying not to think about it.

Suddenly the sound of a baby crying erupted into the night, for it had grown dark by now. The sun was completely set. Had Tsunade and the other villagers noticed their absence yet? Sasuke could only pray it was so.

"Oh ho!" Itachi exclaimed loudly. Other than sounding a little out of breath he did not seem disturbed at all by the fact that someone was giving birth right in front of him. "Baby Uchiha number one has arrived!"

Sasuke glanced up, worry and hope in his eyes. He wasn't sure why he should feel that hope. He knew that his babies were going to die. But still, they were _his_ babies. His and Naruto's. The ones that he and Naruto, and all the villagers, had fought _so _hard for. And sure enough, when he looked up, there it was; one of his children. From where he was lying he could not see if it were a boy or a girl, but at the moment he didn't even care. In that one instant, he was just glad that it was alive. Sasuke wanted to cry some more; not from suffering, but with relief.

"And here comes another!" Itachi exclaimed. He set the one baby off to the side somewhere - Sasuke couldn't see where, and he worried for it. Would Itachi just leave the baby lying in the dirt and leave it for death? Itachi prepared for the next birth.

Another agonizing thirty minutes or so, even more agonizing now that one of the babies was alive and crying.... That probably bothered Sasuke more than anything. He writhed in pain and was unable to move as Naruto continued to scream his lungs out. Sasuke cried many tears - more tears than he had ever suspected he had in him. Except he was sobbing now. Sobbing louder than he ever thought it was possible for an Uchiha to do. He hoped that his own crying would drown out the sound of his child crying, but it never did. Instead the tiny baby's little screaming voice echoed madly in his mind, driving him insane. When Naruto screamed, Sasuke screamed... when the baby cried, Sasuke cried. It seemed to go on forever.

It felt like an eternity before another little voice pierced the night. "What's this?" Itachi said idly. "Well, well." And Itachi set the other baby aside as well. Then he turned his back on Sasuke and began to work with the children, seeming to completely forget about Naruto for a time.

"What are you doing?!" Sasuke demanded, and he gasped as another wave of nausea rolled through him. "What are you doing to my babies?" he gasped. Was Itachi going to simply murder them now and be done with it?

It was the longest ten minutes of his life, but at least Naruto has stopped screaming. The Kyuubi container had fainted.

When Itachi turned back around, the newborn babies were... somewhat cleaner. They still looked alien-like, but still... they were cleaner. And they were also wrapped in little bundles of towels in Itachi's arms. (Where had the towels come from? Sasuke wondered). Itachi turned to Dai. "Let him stand," he said. "But don't allow him to move one other muscle than necessary."

"Yeah," Dai gasped, and he sounded either in pain or very tired. It must have been a lot of work for him, but he also sounded satisfied.

What a marvelous idea Itachi had just had. Sasuke had _just_ been about to do exactly that. Or at least, that was what was going through Sasuke's head. It was as if standing were suddenly not an issue at all, and that the hour - or had it been longer than an hour? - of rolling around on the ground in pain had been simply something he had wanted to do. Sasuke stood stiffly, but without any other problems at all. He didn't feel the least bit sick anymore. He wanted to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but he just... well, it was as if he didn't _want_ to make his arm move, not necessarily that he _couldn't. _It was Dai, putting those thoughts inside his head.

For the first time, Itachi smiled. "Sasuke Uchiha, little brother... may I introduce you to your daughters.... Now, what shall we name them?"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Yes I realize that the part with Dai and the whole speeding up the birthing process thing may have been a bit overdone - I mean, come on, two healthy babies born in a single hour? Is that even possible? You know what, I don't even know enough about pregnancy and childbirth to _know_ if it's possible or not...._

_I doubt it though. I heard it takes a very long time just for one baby. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. I'm updating soon, but I do have school in the morning so... sleep is kind of necessary._

* * *


	20. Konoha To The Rescue

_**Disclaimer:**__ Of course I do not own Naruto_

_**A/N:**__ You're probably going to get really frustrated with me and this story at about 3 pages into this chapter, but please, please, please don't give up hope! Just keep reading! _

* * *

"You bastard," Sasuke grunted. "Put them down. Give them to me!" Sasuke glared at Itachi, but didn't have enough strength left to summon the sharingan. He hadn't used any chakra, and yet he felt so spent.

Itachi looked from one crying baby girl to the other, his expression skeptical. "Now why would I want to do that after going through all the trouble of getting them in the first place?"

"Give my daughters to me!" Sasuke shouted, forcing his arms to raise and reach out toward them.

"Dai!" Itachi ordered with a snarl.

Nausea overcame Sasuke once again, and he dropped to his hands and knees, breathing hard. "What are you going to do to my daughters?" he demanded. "What are you going to do to Naruto?" Ignoring his rolling stomach, Sasuke looked up at his brother again. "Please," he begged. "Please Itachi, do what you want with me - kill me, I don't care. But _please_, they're just babies. They're your own nieces for godsakes!" Sasuke never thought he'd beg for such a thing, especially not from Itachi, but it was worth it. He had no regrets, and he would not regret dying for the ones he loved if it meant freeing them from this madman... though he knew it was probably a futile attempt. Why should Itachi care about killing his nieces? It's not like he hadn't killed everybody else in his family already anyway - with the exception of Sasuke, of course.

As Sasuke had expected he'd do, Itachi refused. "Oh little brother," he said with the tiniest of smiles. "You know me better than that."

"You're going to kill them." It was more a statement than a question.

But Itachi shook his head again. "No brother... _you_ are."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What-?" He had realized what Itachi meant nearly as soon as he said it, and it a pang shot through his body like a needle shoved into his heart. Suddenly his body jerked to its feet as if of its own accord. Dai was controlling him still! Tears spilled out and rolled down his cheeks. Itachi wasn't going to kill the people Sasuke loved... oh no, he was going to make his toture of Sasuke's life that much more complete by having Sasuke do it himself. Sasuke, and Sasuke alone, would have the stain of Naruto and the babies' blood on his hands. Everything he hald dear was about to be destroyed... by his own hand. Sasuke began to sob again.

"First for your petty little wife," Itachi said calmly. He watched his little brother as if he were watching a science experiment, his head tilted slightly to the side as if in mock curiosity. A man watching the rat in the maze.

Sasuke's body took one step toward the unconscious Naruto. "No," he breathed. "No Itachi, please don't do this." His body then took another step, and then again another, though he tried to make it stop. "Please, _please._" Strong enough emotion could break the bond between master and puppet, Itachi had said, but Dai had an iron grip and control over Sasuke's mind and body at that moment. His leg shook at the next step. He was getting closer and closer toward Naruto - slowly, but surely. "Itachi! Dai! Stop!" Another step, and then another. The most that Sasuke could do was cry and beg. How had he managed to fall so far? He was supposed to have protected Naruto... he was supposed to have protected the babies....

Finally, Sasuke was standing at Naruto's side, looking down on him. His hand slowly reached into his kunai pouch and brought one of them out. His hand shook now that it grasped a weapon. He was straining so hard just to make his arm stop moving. It wasn't working. "No, please, _please_ no." He was supposed to protect his family, he _had _to protect them_... _Sasuke's tears slid down his chin and dripped onto Naruto's face. Two little droplets that didn't even make a sound.

Naruto's eyes snapped open.

* * *

Sasuke was so shocked that Naruto was awake, for a moment he had full control of his body again. Or perhaps it was Dai who was shocked, and his concentration slipped. Either way, it didn't matter. Sasuke did not have time to act.

A deep growling erupted from within Naruto's throat. Sasuke had never heard such a sound before. The wind and the trees and the leaves around them began to stir and swirl about in the air.

And then, Naruto began to change.

His eyes went crimson red; the color leaking and spreading first from his pupils, into his irises, and staining the whites of his eyes pink. Sasuke could see all this because he was still standing directly over the boy. Naruto looked like a demon. For the first time in months, Naruto looked _dangerous._ Then, his hair began to shorten on its own; it seemed to be sucking backward into his head rather than growing out. Soon it was in messy spikes, the way it used to be before he had gotten pregnant and turned into a full-time woman, except a bit wilder. His whiskers began to grow wild on each side of his face, and he began to scream. It was not the scream of a little woman who had just given birth, it was the scream of an older boy in pain. Sasuke had never been more relieved to hear it, and yet never more frightened at the same time.

Chakra began to stir in the air around Naruto - fiery red chakra that lit up the night. Sasuke jumped back; he was sure that the chakra would burn him were he to touch it. It swirled about like a fiery tornado around Naruto's body, and yet the boy was still changing and screaming. Was he going mad? What was going on? Sasuke had never seen anything like this before. "Naruto!" he shouted, but his voice was lost in the sound of the wind and Naruto's screaming. "Naruto!" But Naruto could not hear him. "Naruto please!"

Naruto's body convulsed. His fingers stretched into claws, his teeth bared fangs. The pupils of his eyes grew thin and vertically slanted. Naruto's back arched in what seemed like either anger or pain, convulsions racking the boy's body as his claws ripped up the dirt at his side and continued to tear at the earth. Tears spilled out of the corners of his wide, red eyes.

"_Naruto!_" Sasuke screamed in vain.

Suddenly something seemed to burst from Naruto's chest, and he let out the most horrible, pain-filled shriek Sasuke had ever heard before. It seemed the pain of a thousand screaming souls existed in that one, single shout. The red chakra, still swirling crazily about, shot straight up into the sky, and grew and grew, wider and wider.

"I had not anticipated this," Sasuke heard Itachi say, and then his brother was gone. Sasuke looked around. Dai had already fled away.

Sasuke saw the path of the red chakra speeding in his direction, and knew that he should move, but before he could even act on that thought, the chakra passed through him like a blast of hot air, and was suddenly past him. Sasuke stood within the chaos now, his hair and clothes thrown in all directions by the fierce wind. Naruto's agonizing scream continued, along with a strange new ripping sound. White swirls of smaller wisps of chakra shot up into the air as well, coming straight from Naruto's stomach.

In that moment, Sasuke realized what was happening. The seal on Naruto's stomach was weakening... or Naruto was becoming stronger and breaking it. Either way, he knew, the Kyuubi would soon be free. "_No!_" he screamed defiance into the unforgiving wind. What would happen to Naruto if the beast was free? What would happen to _him_? To Konoha? To his daughters?

Sasuke didn't have time to think or react to what was happening. Suddenly, Naruto just... exploded. A cloud of red and an angry orange light appeared, burst outward in a loud explosion, spread, and then suddenly, sucked back in, toward Naruto's body.

Then, everything stopped. All the chakra and light seemed to have been absorbed back into Naruto's body, or somewhere _near_ Naruto's body. The light had been too bright for Sasuke to see, and even now after everything had fallen silent, the dust had still not cleared. The silence was painful compared to all the noise that had been going on just a moment before. Sasuke could barely see anything around him; he could make out only a few indistinct shapes and shadows through the dust.

Then, it all began to clear. The dust finally began to settle, and Sasuke heard himself take in a sharp intake of breath. Miles around was nothing but destruction and death. All the trees that had once been standing, the green grass, the flowers, the animals, and the plants... all of it was dead, charred, and black. It was as if there really _had_ been an explosion, and the only things left alive were Sasuke himself, and... the Kyuubi.

* * *

The first thing Sasuke noticed - after gaping around at the new scenery, and at the demon standing before him of course- was Naruto, in male form, lying motionless at Kyuubi's feet. Kyuubi snarled and barked, looking directly down at Sasuke. _What do you want?_ he desperately wanted to demand, but he just couldn't find the strength to do it. Sasuke was not ashamed to say that he had never been more afraid in his life. He was now standing under the gaze of a mad demon, his family-murdering brother had both of his newborn babies, and he had no idea what kind of condition Naruto was in.

Suddenly, Kyuubi's gaze jerked away from Sasuke, and it barked at something behind him he could not see. Then, the enormous demon bounded away. Without thinking, Sasuke cringed, and then rushed toward Naruto, pulling the boy into his arms.

"Naruto!" he breathed, shaking him. Why wasn't he waking up? Sasuke shook him harder. Naruto's skin was pale and cold. Sasuke could not feel the other boy's chakra, nor his pulse. _No, no, no, no, oh _god_ NO!_ Tears spilled over again. How many times would Sasuke cry today? "_Naruto_! Naruto!" he called, but the blonde boy's eyes never opened, or even fluttered.

And the truth hit him like a brick to the chest: Naruto was dead; his eyes weren't going to open. Infuriated and miserable, Sasuke bent over his lover's body and sobbed. Then, he screamed - screamed at nothing, screamed at the sky, screamed at anything.

His anger had been revived, stronger than ever. Sasuke stood, gently placing Naruto in the dirt and kissing him once on his cold, dead lips. Then, he glared out toward where he could see Kyuubi above the trees, snarling and growling and snapping at the air. Sasuke ran for the creature.

He would see Itachi dead if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

* * *

Due to some trouble caused by inexperienced chunin, Tsunade had been forced to work extra late that night, and didn't arrive home until around eleven or so. She was relieved to be able to come home and sit in her living room on the couch and relax. She was so tired that at first she didn't notice that she was the only one home. The guards outside hadn't said anything, but... Tsunade glanced at the clock. Ten minutes until midnight; she'd been nearly an hour off in guessing what time it was.

She called repeatedly for Sasuke and Naruto, but after a few minutes, it became apparent that they weren't there. She opened the front door and turned to one of the guards. "Where did Sasuke and Naruto go?" she asked.

He seemed surprised at being addressed by her - she had never spoken to him personally before. A little unsure of himself, the man bowed, and then shrugged relunctantly. "I'm sorry to say that I don't know. I just arrived here a moment ago, Hokage-sama."

She shrugged off his formalities and turned to the other guards. "Were any of you here when Sasuke and Naruto left? Or do any of you know where they might be?"

One of them cleared his throat to get her attention, and she turned to him. "I saw them leave, Hokage. They just walked out, Naruto first and then Sasuke a little later. They just said they had things they needed to do."

She looked at the man for a moment, thinking. He seemed to grow uncomfortable under her gaze. "And you have no idea where they went?" she asked.

"No, Hokage," he answered.

"Hm.... Send for Kakashi."

"No need," the silver haired man announced, appearing out of the fog. Tsunade hadn't noticed the mist growing until then. This was turning into a strange night. "Hokage... Tsunade..." Tsunade had not noticed until then how panicked Kakashi was. He was hiding it well, but still, she could tell - his eyes were just a tiny bit too wide, his words came out just a little bit too quickly, and he couldn't seem to keep completely still.

She decided to take control of the situation immediately. If there were any bad news, she did not want him to blurt it out in front of people only for panic to spread. "Please, come inside Kakashi." She held the door open for him, and he looked relieved.

"Thank you, Hokage." And he followed her in.

Once inside, Kakashi walked straight for the stairs. "What is it Kakashi?" she demanded impatiently from behind. He did not answer, so she followed him. Kakashi continued upward until he reached Sasuke's room - the highest room in the house, facing east. She glanced around at all the dust. Sasuke had hardly ever slept there; mostly he chose to sleep in the same bed as Naruto.

"There's something you need to see," Kakashi said, and he stepped up to the rather large window and tore open the blinds.

At first, Tsunade saw nothing of importance, but then she could see movement in the night, past the wall of Konoha. Something was moving out there - something big. "What is it?" she demanded, surprised.

"We think it's a demon," Kakashi replied quietly.

They shared a look for a long moment. Suddenly Tsunade gasped. "Naruto! The Kyuubi!"

Kakashi's eyes grew wider, and he held out his arms in case she fainted. "What?!" he demanded. He had not made the connection she had.

She smacked his hands away impatiently. "Didn't you hear me talking to the guards? Naruto and Sasuke are missing! If Naruto's emotions got out of control.... That could very well be the fox demon out there!"

Kakashi's one visible eye grew very wide. Quickly he threw open the window and readied himself for the leap to the ground. "Ready the entire village!" he demanded. "I'll go on ahead. Gather up every able bodied ninja and every villager willing to come. You remember the destruction from the last time the Kyuubi was free." And then he jumped.

Tsunade stood there frozen for a moment, and then rushed to do her job. She realized immediately that she would also have to plan an emergency evacuation for all the women and children. _If the Kyuubi is really free... _

* * *

Sasuke heard his babies before he saw them; they were still crying. And it was no wonder, with all that was going on. It was a surprise they were both still alive. If Itachi was planning on exterminating the entire Uchiha clan other than himself, why hadn't he killed the two babies yet? Why was he even bothering to keep them alive? Simply because he wanted Sasuke to be the one to kill them? However, with Dai gone, that seemed unlikely now. Sasuke doubted that the man was brave enough to stick with Itachi now - Dai's abilities were near to nothing when it came to demons.

Sasuke stayed hidden in the trees - the ones that hadn't already been burned and blackened, of course. Kyuubi was not very far away, growling and snapping at something on the ground. Sasuke peered over to see Itachi, holding one newborn in each arm, standing directly in the demon's path. "Why haven't you attacked me yet?" Itachi called to the Kyuubi. His voice still held a note of indifference. How could he be so cool and collective, face-to-face with the fox demon, Sasuke wondered? "I'm standing right here. Why aren't you snapping me up?"

Kyuubi snarled at him. "Oh, I see," Itachi continued. "You don't want to hurt the babies." He scoffed. "You've grown soft, and now you've become attached to human emotions. How pathetic."

The demon growled and roared in Itachi's face. _"How dare you insult me,"_ Kyuubi said. Sasuke was shocked. He hadn't known that the demon could speak. He had heard through Naruto of course, but he figured that it had just been the Kyuubi's mind speaking to Naruto's. Sasuke had never actually heard the demon's _voice_ before.

"I thought the fox demon of Konoha was supposed to be terrifying. It turns out you're just a well trained dog after all." Kyuubi continued to roar and scowl, but Itachi ignored him. Suddenly Itachi turned his head and looked directly at Sasuke. "Come out little brother. Don't you want your chance to kill me?"

Without word or thought, Sasuke jumped from his hiding place and lunged at Itachi. Itachi dodged him easily. Sasuke hoped that carrying two babies would somehow throw Itachi off, but unfortunately his brother seemed not to even notice they were there, and Sasuke had to fight just as hard as he would have if Itachi were not holding anything at all - even harder considering that he did not want to harm his children. Kyuubi simply stood at the sidelines and watched.

"Who's side are you on, Kyuubi?" Sasuke demanded. He was already sweating from the battle.

_"I am on no one's side,"_ the fox demon hissed.

_Great,_ Sasuke thought.

* * *

It seemed that Konoha had arrived just in time. Kakashi had been watching Sasuke and Itachi's battle from the moment Sasuke had jumped down from the trees. Kakashi had been surprised, and a little impressed, by the sheer amount of damage the fox demon had caused by simply breaking his seal and coming out. However, he had been saddened to see Naruto lying cold and lifeless amongst the midst of the ruin. He had not had the time to mourn, so he left the boy's body in Tsunade's hands once she and her little army arrived.

A surprising amount of villagers had agreed to come with Tsunade, once they had gotten an idea of what was happening. Women and children were safely evacuated, and everyone who had come along was well-armed.

Suddenly Kakashi noticed another movement off to the side. A few branches down from him, the man he recognized as Dai Akamatsu was watching the battle as well, eyes wide and frightened. He had obviously not expected a demon to be involved in this fight, and had probably run in the midst of the confusion. Kakashi leaped down to join him. "Enjoying the fight?" he asked dangerously. Before Dai had the chance to react - Kakashi saw the tattoo of that strange symbol on the back of the man's neck, so he knew it was really him - Kakashi took out a kunai and coldly slit his throat.

He then left the man for dead.

* * *

"We have an audience, I think," Itachi announced as Sasuke continued to come at him. Itachi managed to dodge every one of Sasuke's attacks.

"An audience?" Sasuke demanded, breathless. He did not stop his assault.

"Yes," Itachi continued. "It seems that half your precious village has come to see what all the commotion is about."

Relief rolled over Sasuke - Tsunade and the others had finally come! Itachi didn't even have the decency to look worried, and maybe he in fact didn't have reason to. He was, after all, very powerful. And though aid had finally arrived, Sasuke knew the fight was far from over. Itachi was still alive and well; Itachi still had the babies.

"That's enough!"

Sasuke and his brother seperated in the instant the shout was made, and Sasuke turned to see Tsunade standing there at the edge of the trees. "Itachi Uchiha!" she continued. "You are under arrest, and sentenced to death! You are to be executed at first chance. Please, hand over the babies and come with us quietly."

"Oh dear," Itachi said mockingly. "It seems I am outnumbered." After a moment he said, "Enough with the formalities, Hokage."

"Give the babies to us _now_," Tsunade continued, ignoring and glaring at him.

Itachi shrugged. "Catch."

Sasuke's eyes grew wide, and his heart nearly jumped from his chest as his brother _threw_ one of the babies into the air. Kyuubi roared at Itachi. Sasuke didn't even have time to move. He watched as one of his daughters was snatched out of the air just before she hit the ground. "That was rather rude," Kakashi Hatake commented. His one visible eye was watching the crying baby that was now suddenly in his arms. He hushed it, rocking it gently. Then, calmly, he handed her to Sasuke.

Sasuke felt a strong tug at his heart as he took the baby girl in his arms. She was still crying quite hard, but other than being a little shaken up, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her. She looked up at him with innocent, tear-filled eyes. They were large, and bright blue, just like Naruto's. More tears rolled down Sasuke's cheeks, and Tsunade gave him a quick sympathizing look.

"How sweet," Itachi commented apathetically. The sound of his brother's voice brought Sasuke back to reality. Itachi still had the other baby.

When Sasuke looked at him, slowly, Itachi brought out a kunai, and held it right over the other baby's heart. Kyuubi growled under his breath, but didn't move an inch. Sasuke's heart pounded wildly in his chest. He clutched his daughter protectively in his arms. "Are you still so sure that you want to be doing that?" Itachi asked calmly, and he turned and looked into the trees behind him from over his shoulder. Standing there was Neji Hyuga with his own weapon in hand. Sasuke hadn't noticed him there before.

As Sasuke glanced around the trees around him, he began to see other friends of his and Naruto's there. Little Hinata was there, Sakura of course, Ino, Kiba with Akamaru, Rock Lee, who was crying but looked determined. They must have all seen Naruto's body by now. Hiashi Hyuga was also there, and Iruka, and surprisingly even Jiraiya. Even little Konohamaru... Sasuke remembered that Konohamaru had always used to look up to Naruto. Kurenai and Asuma were there together, even though neither one of them had ever been very close to Sasuke or Naruto before. Might Guy was there, of course, surprisingly not standing with Lee even though his student seemed quite upset... Shikamaru was there, and TenTen.

Sasuke had never really realized how many friends he and Naruto truly had in Konoha. It was very touching to see them all there, supporting him, helping him.

Sasuke turned his attention back to Itachi.

But suddenly, Itachi was gone. He was there one moment, and simply wasn't the next. Tsunade was gone, too. _They moved so fast I didn't even see them,_ Sasuke thought in amazement. He wasn't used to things like that. He still didn't have enough chakra to summon the sharingan.

"Sasuke, come on!" Kakashi urged him.

"Let me take her," Hinata offered, holding out her arms to take his baby. Sasuke was reluctant to let the child go, but desperately wanted to know what was happening with Itachi. He gently handed the baby to Hinata, and asked her to keep a close eye on her. She nodded understandingly and touched on of his arms. "I understand, Sasuke-san. I will watch her, you don't have to worry about that. Now go."

Sasuke nodded once, and jumped into the trees.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I'm pretty sure that there will only be one more chapter after this, and then maybe an epilogue. At least, that's what I'm planning for. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry to always be leaving you with such dramatic cliffhangers all the time. (hehe...) Anyway, at least I'm updating fast. The next chapter will be up soon, I promise._

* * *


	21. Sacrifice

_**Disclaimer:**__ Of course I don't own Naruto._

_**A/N**__: One more chapter after this, and then it's over. This chapter really touched me, and I hope it has the same effect on all of you.

* * *

_

Kyuubi followed them as Sasuke and Kakashi followed after Tsunade and Itachi. The demon was forced to take tiny steps, however, because though they were moving so fast, to him they were moving slow. _"Hurry up if you want to save your kit, kid,"_ the Kyuubi snarled once at Sasuke. Then, the demon bounded off ahead.

"Is he on our side then?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke said truthfully. "He told me he wasn't on anybody's side."

"Hm," Kakashi said thoughtfully. "Seems he was lying."

Suddenly, Kyuubi stopped. He looked directly back at Kakashi and Sasuke. _"Follow me,"_ the demon said once they caught up to him. Then he turned abruptly west. _"I know where they are!"_ Kyuubi growled. So, Sasuke and Kakashi followed.

The two knew when they were almost caught up with Itachi and Tsunade, because Kyuubi started barking wildly. Then, they came upon the two of them, locked in battle. Itachi had a kunai in one hand, a baby in the other. He and Tsunade clashed again and again, each trying to gain the advantage and neither of them getting anywhere. Itachi actually seemed to have to strain now, but there was more sweat on Tsunade's forehead than there was on his. It was obvious that she was wearing down. Sasuke started toward them, but Kakashi grabbed him. "Don't do it," the silver haired man said.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Think about it Sasuke. Tsunade has to concentrate very hard right now, just to keep herself alive. Even as a _'legendary'_ ninja.... If you just go jumping in, she might accidentally kill you, and if that doesn't happen I'm sure Itachi wouldn't hesitate to do it for her. Not to mention the fact that you don't want any harm to come to that baby."

So, Sasuke was forced to watch the battle from the sidelines. Since Sasuke still couldn't use his sharingan yet, to him it just looked as if Tsunade and Itachi were little blurs of color, meeting head on time and time again. Kakashi, however, had pulled his mask down by now and was watching intensely. Then...

"_Stalemate_!" the man exclaimed quietly, and at that moment, Tsunade and Itachi both just stopped. The two were standing weapon against weapon, pushing kunai against kunai, arms shaking as they strained to hold on. Tsunade's arms were quivering much more than Itachi's were. Did she stand a chance against him?

Sasuke thought about stepping in again, but again Kakashi stopped him. "Don't intervene," the man said. "They are still in battle. Whatever happens now...." He didn't finish his sentence.

Suddenly Tsunade's eyes shut tight, and she groaned, pushing harder. Itachi's arm moved back an inch or so. The woman kept pushing, but she was hardly getting anywhere with it. It was then that Sasuke noticed her other hand was at Itachi's throat, but his brother didn't move. Itachi was trying to act as if he were not being strangled.... It was unbelievable, and exactly the kind of thing that he would do.

Then, Tsunade leaned in closer to him, snarling in his face. Itachi's arm moved back another inch or so. Perhaps the woman stood a chance after all.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Tsunade reared back and head butted Itachi. Sasuke's brother stumbled back a few feet, and his weapon fell. He had out another kunai before the first even hit the ground. Now he and Tsunade were simply staring at one another, breathing hard. "The next move will decide this match," Kakashi said, and he sounded sure of himself.

For a long time, longer than seemed bearable, Tsunade and Itachi simply shot dirty looks at each other, but then, finally, Tsunade made the first move. Sasuke did not clearly see what happened - the two became just little blurs again - but the next he saw Tsunade, she was holding his baby girl. Without hesitation Sasuke and Kakashi dove in and slammed Itachi into a tree, holding him. Kyuubi growled threateningly, and stepped forward. _"Let me snap up this little treat,"_ the demon threatened.

Before he even had the words out of his mouth, Kakashi and Sasuke both hit Itachi in the stomach with chidori in the same moment. Sasuke had absolutely no idea how he managed to summon that vast amount of chakra - perhaps it was seeing his brother's face up close for the first time in a while, perhaps it was the fact that he wanted revenge so badly against the man who had caused him so much pain.... In any case, Sasuke was completely drained the instant his chidori hit, and he fainted.

* * *

When Sasuke woke, he had a headache as if he had been hit over the head, or as if he'd been drinking heavily the night before. He looked around and found himself all alone, in a different place than he remembered being. It was a different part of the woods, but he recognized it as still part of the forest outside of Konoha. Sasuke's entire body ached. He truly was completely drained now. He felt as if he couldn't even stand on his own. He hoped that the move with the chidori had killed off Itachi for good, because there was no way that he'd be able to pull a last minute move like that again. He and Kakashi had used the technique at the same time. It had been a direct hit, and so Sasuke just couldn't find a way to convince himself that Itachi could still be alive. Somehow though, it just felt far too simple.

Suddenly Tsunade was there, standing over him. "So you're awake," she commented. There was deep sadness in her eyes.

Sasuke grunted as he sat up - it felt as if his bones weighed a ton, or as if he was moving through water. His body was exhausted. "Is Itachi dead?" he demanded quietly.

She would not meet his eyes. "We think so. We fed his body to the Kyuubi, along with Dai Akamatsu's. It seemed like the best thing to do.... I'm surprised that your brother would go down so easily, though."

"I was thinking exactly the same thing," he replied.

She nodded. "Yes well, the most we can do is hope for the best."

"Where are the others?" Sasuke asked her. "What are they all doing now?"

"You've only been passed out for about half an hour or so. After you fainted, and Kyuubi snapped up Dai and Itachi's bodies, everyone moved to... to go see Naruto." Her eyes saddened. "We were going to bury him, but we thought it best to wait until you were awake. Sasuke," -her voice broke a little- "I'm so sorry. It wasn't supposed to be like this." Sasuke had never seen Tsunade cry before. Somehow she just didn't seem like the crying type, so it was weird to see her eyes so full. As for himself, he didn't think he had any tears left _to_ cry.

"Don't apologize," he said, as he stood. Even then he had to lean tiredly against a tree. She walked slowly over to him and pulled one of his arms around her shoulder to help him walk. He gave her a look of thanks, and she nodded, leading the way. The destruction that the Kyuubi had caused when coming out of Naruto's body was wide spread, so it took a while to get to the center place, where Naruto's body lay. They had to keep stopping because Sasuke needed rest. For a moment or two he thought he was going to faint again, and knew that he would never feel better until he got some proper sleep. Pushing his body forward, Sasuke pressed on - with help from the Hokage, of course.

When he and Tsuande finally did reach Naruto, it seemed that all of Konoha was gathered about. "I thought you said you evacuated the women and children," Sasuke commented in surprise.

"I did," she agreed. "The ones that would go, anyway. When they heard that something might be happening with Naruto, most of them chose to come with us, even if they had no fighting experience."

"I'm grateful to them," Sasuke said sadly. "But they came a bit too late."

When they approached the crowd - Kyuubi was standing nearby - the group parted to allow a clear path to Naruto's body. Sasuke seperated himself from Tsunade; he wanted to walk alone from here, even if it was slow going. Sasuke was about half way through the crowd to Naruto when Hinata and Ino stepped in his path. Each girl held one of his children in their arms. Sasuke smiled sadly, and felt tears building up in his eyes again. He'd been wrong about not having any left to cry. "Are they both okay?" he asked quietly. His voice came out barely audible, but they understood him.

Ino and Hinata shared a look. "They're both just fine now Sasuke," Hinata replied, touching him lightly on the arm. After a minute, Ino said, "This probably isn't the best time to ask but... what are you planning to name them?"

He shook his head. "I don't know yet. I'm just glad that they're both alive." As he continued on his way toward his lover's body, Sasuke kissed both of his children's little heads, and the one with the large blue eyes cracked a smile at him. Somehow he found the strength to smile back, but it tugged painfully at his heart.

When Sasuke reached Naruto, he fell to his knees, and touched his lover's face. "Naruto," he in that quiet voice. "Why did you have to die?" He laid his head on Naruto's motionless chest and suddenly began to sob. It should have been embarrassing with the whole village watching, but it wasn't. Sasuke no longer cared about things like that. If he could only have Naruto back, he'd kiss him and cuddle with him and hold his hand in public as much as he possibly could and wouldn't complain once.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been crying like that, but suddenly there was a touch on his shoulder. It was Tsunade. "Sasuke," she said quietly, crouching down next to him. "I think it's time for all of us to go home, to the village."

He paused, and then nodded, face still wet with tears. The Kyuubi made a strange noise then. Sasuke looked up at him. "And what are we to do with you?" Tsunade asked the fox demon. The Kyuubi wasn't hurting anybody, it was just sitting there, looking down at all of them. It didn't even seem threatening anymore. Then Sasuke realized that Kyuubi already _knew _all these people through Naruto. As long as Sasuke had known Naruto, the Kyuubi had always been a part of him. But now... now things were different.

Sasuke took Naruto's cold hand in his. "Is there any way to save him, Kyuubi?" he asked.

The fox demon hesitated a long moment before answering. _"There... may be a way,"_ he replied. _"But I do not think you will be willing to pay the price."_

"I will be willing to pay any price," Sasuke breathed honestly.

Kyuubi growled quietly. _"That boy has become a part of me, as I have him. He's a good kid. Perhaps if you seal me back into his body.... Well, it wasn't _so_ bad, living like that. He's strong, and he's a fighter. He doesn't deserve to die like this."_

"So that's all I have to do?" Sasuke asked hopefully. "Seal you back up in Naruto's body?"

_"...Yes,"_ Kyuubi replied. _"But do you understand what it means to seal me up? It will cost you your life, and that boy will not want to be alive without you."_

Sasuke thought for a moment. "I'll do it," he said, determined.

_"I do not know if it will work,"_ Kyuubi continued. _"It's only a theory. Not to mention, you don't even know _how_ to seal me up."_

"I don't care," Sasuke said. "I'll figure it out. I'll definitely bring him back."

There was a touch on Sasuke's shoulder again. He jumped slightly; he'd almost forgotten that there was anyone else around. When he turned, he saw the whole village staring at him. Hinata and Sakura and Ino looked worried. The one who had touched Sasuke's shoulder, surprisingly enough, was Hiashi Hyuga. The man looked Sasuke in the eyes. "I know how to perform the jutsu," he said. "I'll do it."

"Father!" Hinata cried. "What are you saying?"

Hiashi turned to his daughter. "I am sorry, Hinata. I've never been a very good father to you. But I have met and talked with and protected Naruto Uzumaki... I respect him. And given the choice, this is exactly what I would choose to do if it were either you or Hanabi lying there in the dust."

"But father..." Hinata's eyes were filled with shock.

"Father!" Hanabi appeared out of the crowd. "Father you can't!"

Hinata and Hanabi stood, side by side, looking up at their father. He glanced from one to the other, and abruptly pulled them into a tight embrace. "I am so proud of you. Of both of you."

"Father..." Hanabi cried, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Then, looking determined and prepared, the man turned to Sasuke. "You don't have to do this..." Sasuke whispered, shocked that someone had even suggested it.

"I want to, Sasuke Uchiha. You and I have never had the chance to get to know each other... but... somehow I feel that this is something I need to do."

"Are you sure you want to do this Hiashi?" Tsunade asked seriously. "Please, think of what you are doing."

"I am," Hiashi replied, nodding. "I've thought it through enough already. This is the right thing for me to do." He looked over at Naruto's body. "I have lived my life, and I haven't done a very good job of it. But these two are still young, and they are just starting a family. I have seen how happy they are together. Naruto deserves life more than I do at this point."

"But Hiashi..." Tsunade continued, looking down. "What if it doesn't even work?" she asked.

"It's worth the try. I would rather we try it, and it not work, than to not try, and never know."

Reluctantly, she nodded. "You are right I suppose."

The man turned toward the Kyuubi. "Fox demon," he announced. "Are you ready?"

Kyuubi tilted his head to one side, and one of it's nine tails flickered in slight annoyance. _"Are _you_?"_ he asked.

Hiashi nodded, but Sasuke grabbed one of the man's sleeves. Hiashi turned to him. "Thank you," Sasuke said sincerely. "I could never thank you enough for this. Thank you _so_ much."

Hiashi nodded, and turned back to the fox demon. _"Let's get this over with,"_ Kyuubi said, sounding bored.

* * *

The sun was rising by the time Hiashi stepped up to Naruto's body. He lifted the boy's shirt. The old seal that had been on Naruto's stomach was no longer there anymore. That wasn't a surprise.

However, Sasuke _was _surprised when Hiashi didn't perform any hand signs; instead, he simply placed one of his palms on Naruto's stomach, closed his eyes, and placed his other hand sideways in front of his face. Nothing happened at first, and Sasuke began to wonder if Hiashi truly did know how to do it. The entire village was silent, waiting.

Finally, a light glow began to flicker around Hiashi's hands. Slowly, it became more distinct, and then began to spread up his arms until his whole body was aglow. "What is it?" Sasuke whispered without realizing he was speaking outloud.

"It's pure chakra," Tsunade answered quietly. "Sort of like... his life force. He's giving it up to Kyuubi and Naruto, putting it into the seal. See how it's that bluish color? That means it's fit for the jutsu."

Sasuke nodded as if he understood, but he didn't.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of light and color, not a lot unlike the one that had happened when Kyuubi had been set free. For a moment, Sasuke was blinded by it. Everybody was. When the light was gone and faded, he could hardly see. There was too much dust in the air, and he kept envisioning that bright light flash before his eyes. At first, everyone was coughing and blinking, trying to see. But then finally when the dust settled, Sasuke saw with surprise that Kyuubi was gone, and Hiashi was lying in the dirt. Had it worked?

Hanabi rushed toward Hiashi's form. "Father?" she said, shaking him. She turned him over so that she could see his face, but his eyes were closed. "Father," she said again, and she continued to shake him. Her voice broke with tears. "Father, father, father...." She bent over him and cried. Hinata joined her, and for the first time Sasuke could ever remember seeing, she embraced and comforted her little sister. Neji joined them as well. As he passed Sasuke, he looked at him and said, "You might want to check on Naruto now. My uncle gave his life for him. Don't leave him lying in the dust only for him to lose his life again after he's just gotten it back."

Sasuke nodded and approached Naruto's body, though he was a little relunctant to leave the suddenly grieving family. What this right, he wondered? Was it really okay to leave a family so distraught, to take the life of a man just so that Naruto and Sasuke could have their happiness? Somehow, Sasuke couldn't decide, and it was too late to think of it now anyway. Still, he felt bad, turning away from the little group of Hyugas.

At first, there seemed to be no improvement, and his hopes sank. The only thing different was that the seal was back on the boy's stomach where it belonged. "I don't think it worked," Sasuke said sadly to Tsunade.

Many voices in the crowd made discouraged sounds, but Tsunade shook her head. "It _had_ to have worked," the woman said. "The Kyuubi simply cannot stay sealed in a body that is dead. Check him more thoroughly, Sasuke." She approached to help.

Together Sasuke and Tsunade checked Naruto for any signs of life. At first, it seemed that there were none to find, but if what Tsunade had said was true, then Naruto almost _had_ to be alive. "He was cold and dead for a long time," Sasuke commented.

"Stop giving up so easily," Tsunade said briskly. She pursed her lips and took Naruto's wrist in her hand again. She closed her eyes for a moment. "_There,_" she said. "A pulse. Very weak, but it's there."

Sasuke reached out and followed her example. After a minute he was startled to realize that it was true. There _was_ a pulse. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked. He shook the boy lightly. "Naruto?" He still didn't budge. "Naruto. Naruto, open your eyes."

All was silent for a moment again, other than Hanabi's quiet crying. Finally, Tsunade shook her head and said, "I doubt he can hear you Sasuke. He is still so close to death. We have to get him back to the village." But as she spoke, Naruto's eyes slowly drifted open.

"Naruto?" Sasuke demanded quietly. "Are you okay?" he ran his fingers through the other boys hair.

"Sasuke," Naruto said weakly. Suddenly his pulse quickened to it's usual pace. "Stupid teme." Sasuke had never been happier to hear Naruto call him a bastard before.

Sasuke pulled him into his arms and just cried. "Jeez Sasuke," Naruto mumbled. "What happened to _you_?"

* * *

_**A/N:** I had to choose between Hiashi and Jiraiya being the ones to sacrifice themselves for Naruto. In the end I ended up choosing Hiashi, although Jiraiya_ _probably would have been the better choice. Well, I couldn't have everyone jumping about offering themselves to save Naruto, now could I? Truth is most of the people in the village probably would have done it, given the chance. Well, what did you think of it?_


	22. Epilogue

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_

After his miraculous revival, Naruto had been taken immediately to the hospital in Konoha. There he stayed for nearly two weeks. Tsunade claimed that Naruto was doing just fine, and would be back to normal soon enough. However, Sasuke wondered how anything could go back to being _normal_ now. According to Naruto, Kyuubi was behaving, and was still the same old Kyuubi as he had always been.

Eventually, after a few days of pondering, Sasuke and Naruto had agreed on names for the girls; Cheri and Hemiko. Naruto only truly seemed happy when _they_ were around, otherwise he'd be staring off into space with such a sad expression. He was depressed by the fact that Hiashi had chosen to sacrifice himself for him, and also, Naruto had been through a lot of excruciating pain - first with giving birth, and then when the Kyuubi had burst out of him. He was _still_ in a lot of pain. It hurt Sasuke to see him that way, but Tsunade claimed that it would eventually pass. Sasuke worried that it never would.

Three days after the event in the forest, Hiashi Hyuga's funeral was held. Everybody was in mourning, even the people who had never liked or known him that much. It was nearly as sad as, if not more so, than the Third Hokage's funeral had been all those years ago. Naruto was allowed to attend the funeral of course, but he had to stay in a wheelchair the entire time. Naruto hadn't wanted to go at all. He said he felt so guilty for what had happened to Hiashi; said Hiashi's death was all his fault. "It's not right for a murderer to go to their victim's funeral," he claimed. He also wondered aloud how he could ever stand to look at Hinata or Neji or Hanabi again without feeling guilty.

However, Sasuke and Tsunade had eventually managed to convince him to attend. "Naruto," Tsunade had said. "Hiashi sacrificed his _life_ for you. The least you can do is pay your respects." And so, Naruto had finally agreed.

As they stood by the coffin, looking down at all the pictures of Hiashi and his family, Naruto stared off into nothing. There were tears falling down his cheeks, but he didn't seem to notice them. That night while he was in bed - Sasuke was holding his hand; they were back in the hospital - Naruto claimed that the sounds of Hinata and Hanabi crying would haunt him for the rest of his days.

"Naruto," Sasuke said comfortingly, stroking the back of his hand. "You have to come out of this state of depression. You have a family to live for now - two beautiful baby girls, and... me. You're really scaring me. Sometimes I'm afraid that you'll never be the same again."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, his face expressionless. "You were _really_ worried about me, weren't you?"

"You have no idea." Sasuke tried to smile a bit, but a tear slid down his cheek at the memory of that day....

Naruto reached out and wiped the tear away. "Sasuke," Naruto said quietly. "I'm going to be fine. I _will_ go back to normal. And we will be happy together, you and me and our daughters... I just need some time, that's all."

Sasuke nodded. "You can have all the time you need. I'll always be here for you."

"I'm glad." It was silent for a long while. Then, just before Naruto drifted off to sleep, he said, "Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I'm really glad... that we're together."

Another tug at Sasuke's heart. "I love you Naruto," he whispered.

"I love you too, Sasuke. _So_ much."

* * *

**SIX YEARS LATER**

"Daddy! _Dad! _Cheri stole my favorite blue ribbon and she won't give it back!"

"Did _not_!" Cheri yelled. Hemiko turned around and stuck her tongue out at her.

"I thought the redribbon was your favorite," Sasuke said, surprised. The two girls fighting was no unusual thing. They were very close friends, and were always there for one another no matter what, but they also complained a lot, as all children do.

The two girls had grown up nearly identical - they had the same faces, they were of the same height, and they had the exact same color of dark black hair, very similar to Sasuke's hair color. However, Hemiko wore her hair long and down to her waist, keeping it out of her face with various colored ribbons, while Cheri insisted on keeping hers cut short and spiky, like Naruto's... except, thankfully, hers was a bit longer than Naruto's. Also, Cheri was the one with bright blue eyes - Hemiko's eyes were dark, like Sasuke's.

"Not anymore!" Hemiko replied to Sasuke's statement. "Now the _blue_ one's my favorite! And Cheri won't give it back!"

"Nu-uh! You gave it to me last week, Hemmy!" 'Hemmy' was Cheri's little nickname for Hemiko, and Hemiko absolutely hated it. She said it sounded too much like 'hammy.'

"Kids, kids!" Naruto laughed as he entered the room. He was holding two glasses halfway filled with milk. "This is not how professional ninja are supposed to act."

"Daddy!" Cheri squealed, and she ran into Naruto's arms, causing him to almost spill the milk. She absolutely doted on him. Naruto was Cheri's idol, and Sasuke suspected that was why she always wore her hair the way she did; she wanted to be just like him. Cheri also had the impish immaturity of Naruto as well, but thankfully, Hemiko was more of the serious type, like Sasuke.

"Go sit down girls, and drink your milk."

Cheri scrunched her nose. "But _daddy_..." she complained. "You know I hate milk!" As much as Hemiko was like Sasuke, and Cheri was like Naruto, Cheri was the one who ended up with the distaste for milk. Hemiko absolutely loved it.

"'But' nothing," Naruto replied. "You know drinking it is the only way to grow big and strong."

"Yeah Cheri," Hemiko cut in. "When we get to ninja school I'm gonna beat you up everyday 'cause you won't drink your milk. But I drink _bunches_ of it!" As if to prove a point, she took one of the glasses from Naruto and chugged it down.

"You're going to get choked," Sasuke warned her.

But then the glass was empty, and she set it down on the table and sighed, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "Hemiko," Naruto chastised, handing her a small towel. She took it a bit guiltily and continued wiping her mouth with it instead.

"Now," Naruto continued. "Today is your very first day at the ninja academy, so you know you can't keep acting like this. Now, what does your father always tell you?" He was referring to Sasuke.

Cheri sighed. "You have to be big and mature to impress the teachers."

"And...?"

She sighed again, becoming more frustrated by the second. "_And_ you have to respect everybody at the academy."

"_And..._?" he pressed.

She made angry little noises and sighed more dramatically this time. "And you have to especially respect the teachers!" she said loudly.

"And you've got to earn your own respect, _Cheri_," Hemiko added snidely.

Sasuke gave her a dark look. "Your sister knows it, Hemiko. Naruto was asking her, not you."

"Yeah," Cheri felt the need to add smugly. "And you're not supposed speak out of turn _Hemmy._"

"Stop that," Naruto told her, a little annoyed.

"But daddy, Cheri's got my blue ribbon!" Hemiko complained to Naruto, pointing at Cheri.

"But Cheri never wears ribbons," Naruto told her.

Cheri blushed and lowered her head. "I want to look pretty for my first day of being a ninja," she said.

Naruto laughed and touched her nose. "You're not a ninja quite yet, Cheri." He looked up and smiled at Sasuke, and Sasuke smiled back. "Now, give Hemiko her blue ribbon back, and maybe she'll let you borrow another one."

"But the blue one looks more like daddy's and daddy's" -she pointed first at Naruto, then at Sasuke- "ninja headbands!"

Naruto shook his head, still smiling. "You'll get your ninja headband soon, Cheri," he said comfortingly, crouching down to pull her into his arms. He reached out and pulled Hemiko in as well. "And so will you, Hemiko. You two are growing up so fast. What are your father and I going to do when you're gone and going out on missions all the time?"

"It'll be so cool!" Cheri exclaimed. "I can't _wait_ to go on missions." She quickly kissed Naruto's cheek and hugged his neck.

"Missions are not all fun and games, girls," Sasuke commented. "You know that."

"Yeah, yeah " Hemiko said, sounding bored. "Psycho uncle trying to kill us when we were babies and that snake guy.... That's all you ever talk about daddy." Sasuke just loved it how the girls referred to Itachi and Orochimaru as "psycho uncle" and "that snake guy." The two of them weren't old enough to remember their names yet, so calling them these things was just easier for them. Hemiko continued, "But you don't need to worry. We'll be OK, because we've got the best daddies in the world! We've got coolest, strongest daddies than any of the other kids." She walked away from Naruto and climbed up to sit in Sasuke's lap. Then she made a silly face and smiled at him. Sasuke held her close and kissed the top of her head.

Cheri smiled smugly. "Other kids don't even _have_ two daddies like we do."

Hemiko grinned widely, and Naruto and Sasuke shared and amused look. "Daddy," Hemiko said suddenly to Sasuke.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for protecting us when we were babies." She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tight. Sasuke's heart filled with warmth at her little touch.

"Alright, alright," Naruto said. "Come on girls, or you'll be late for your first day of school. Cheri, please switch out Hemiko's blue ribbon for a different one. Maybe a purple one?"

She pouted. "Okay daddy," she mumbled.

"No! _I_ want the purple one today!" Hemiko exclaimed, jumping up from Sasuke's lap and running for her bedroom.

"No, daddy said _I_ get the purple one!" Cheri whined, chasing after her.

"Don't forget to drink your milk Cheri!" Naruto called after the two girls. Sasuke just shook his head, and Naruto smiled at him again.

Grinning, Sasuke stood up from the chair and walked over to Naruto, pulling him close. Naruto grinned back at him, and they kissed. "You think we've done a good job?" Naruto asked.

"Of course we did," Sasuke replied. "Don't worry about it. We've raised them well."

Naruto kissed him again, and rested his head against Sasuke's chest. "I love you."

"I love you too. And I love our girls."

Naruto laughed lightly at that. "They're hardly babies anymore, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged. "They'll always be our babies."

Naruto frowned up at him. "They won't like that very much."

"They'll get used to it."


	23. Author's Note

_I can now finally label this story as "complete," but it does make me kind of sad. Thanks so much to everybody who has read the whole story, and to everybody who stuck with me from the moment I finished chapter one. I know we all had to struggle through some seriously crappy writer's block from time to time. It must have been especially frustrating with all those cliffhangers everyone always complained about. hehe... ;)_

_It does make me sad now that it's finished. I'm sure a few weeks from now I'll sit down at my computer, determined to work on this story some more, completely forgetting that it's already finished._

_Well, I _was_ considering making this into a trilogy... and maybe I will sometime in the future, when I can think of a good enough plot for one. I was thinking of calling it _"Sometimes the Best Thing that Can Happen is an Accident." _Well I hope you all enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think this is in fact the best story I have ever written. And I went through some rough times to finish it, so you better appreciate! haha..._

_l8ter_

_K.Leigh_


	24. IMPORTANT!

_**A/N:**__ W00t! Chapter one of the next story is up! It should be pretty obvious which one it is, but I'll remind you again what the title of it is anyway. "(Sometimes) The Best Thing That Can Happen Is An Accident." _

_It wouldn't let me fit the whole title though so I had to shorten it a bit... -sweatdrop- _

_Anyway, go read it. Tell me what you think!_


End file.
